The End of the World
by I. Run. E
Summary: The worst case scenario unfolds, and everything begins to fall apart. It could only mean the end of the world when Kyon manages to get a date. Updated: The improper ending of an abandoned story.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Recently, I've read the Suzumiya Haruhi novels on baka tsuki, and I'm surprised that there aren't that many fics about this. This seems to be the sort of thing that screams "write about me!", but since there haven't been many stories, I'm taking a shot here, so...

* * *

"…is that so?"

I kept my calm composure, but I was churning uncomfortably on the inside. If she could read my mind, then she'd know how bad of an idea it was.

"I don't think that's necessary."

"But it is."

She beamed at me, showing all of her pearly white teeth. For your information, the owner of this cheery singsong voice was none other than my prestigious carefree mother. Normally, she would ask how my day was and ecstatically make dinner, so it was understandably awkward for me when she suddenly butted into my personal life. Come to think of it, this was probably the first time she and I ever had a serious conversation.

"A date would be good for you! I mean, have you even thought of anyone who you could get into a serious relationship with? Huh?"

Well, as matter-of-fact, I could name a few.

The ever so adorable time traveler, Asahina-san, comes first to mind. Without her angelic appearance in the Literature Club room or her heavenly tea to warm me up after school, my life in the SOS Brigade would cease to exist. Having her as a girlfriend would be incredible if it didn't make me the happiest man in the world! I can imagine her serving me tea in her maid outfit in every morning and asking me how my day was after a long tiring day at work. Even thinking about it makes me feel like a can lift up a hummer.

Next, I suppose, would be the expressionless alien, Nagato. Going out with her wouldn't be so bad. Pleasing her would be easy, not to mention cost-efficient. I could just take her out to the library to read. And, if you ignore the completely bland personality, she _is_, in a sense, pretty.

And then there's Haruhi…never mind.

"Yeah, sort of."

I answered honestly. She pouted at my answer and replied,

"You still have to go. If you want to back out of this, you can tell her yourself. I've already set up a date with her parents, and she's really excited to see you."

Excited? I highly doubt that. She's probably as thrilled as a child who's just witnessed her pet turtle getting run over by a pickup. This girl was most likely pressured by her parents to go. Speaking of which, where _was _my dad? Perhaps he could reason with her.

"Huh? He's working late tonight."

Damn.

"The date's tomorrow after school in the park. Make sure you'll be there on time."

Wait, tomorrow? Isn't that a little too soon?

"It's not like you have anything planned, do you?"

She asked, blinking her eyes at me.

"Actually, yes. I have club activities."

I said, pulling out my trump card, if you can call it that.

"And…what, exactly, does your club do?"

Damn.

"Well…we go around town and search for…out of place things and…fix them."

This wasn't completely a lie. As stated by the chief herself, the purpose of the SOS Brigade was to find aliens, time travelers, and espers and have fun with them, but we mostly just hang around the clubroom and have Haruhi's definition of the word "fun", which usually ends up with me being worn out to the point of collapsing.

"Just skip."

She said simply. She stepped out of the room cheerfully and left me with a huge burden on my shoulders. My sister, who had been watching the conversation from the sidelines, hopped up to me and smiled.

"Shut up."

I said, lightly punching the top of her head.

Oh, if only skipping were that simple. Having the chief sit directly behind you is clearly a disadvantage, so confronting her is unavoidable. I can already guess the amounts of unspeakable punishments she has in store for me. Then again, no decent man would knowingly stand up a woman. Whoever would do that would surely deserve to be death penalized. If anyone did that to poor Asahina-san, I would join in on the mob to mutilate that guy. And plus, this is the least I could do for my parents, since they've never once complained about me or my mooching. What I should do is obvious, am I right? …jeez, I guess I'm only halfway decent.

As I pondered about this, Shamisen walked into my room and nestled onto the foot of my bed. Turning my head, I decided to ask for help.

"I don't suppose _you_ have any ideas."

I said. The calico merely tilted its head and yawned.

To my bitter disappointment, tomorrow had approached like an oncoming train powered by Haruhi's enthusiasm. Today, the trek up to school seemed more steep and treacherous, giving off a foreboding feeling. That would explain why I was walking so slowly up the hill. It wasn't like I was scared or anything.

"Yo, Kyon!"

I felt Taniguchi slap my back. Despite what you might think, I was certainly not going to ask that lecher for advice. Shamisen has way more insight.

"Is something wrong?"

He asked. His cocky tone and idiotic smile made it seem like he enjoyed seeing me frustrated.

"What do you mean?"

"You seem a little sluggish today. Don't tell me being Suzumiya's package boy has given you arthritis already?"

He said, jogging backwards. I looked forward, hoping there were some rocks he might accidentally trip over.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Taniguchi shut his eyes and sped up his pace, all the while, keeping a smug expression on his face.

"Ah, well, don't be late for school."

He turned around and started running, but not before giving off a totally random remark.

"Remember, it's going to rain in couple of days!"

Honestly, who the hell would care about that?

As I sat stared out at the cloudless sky from my desk, I knew it was a fairly nice day, and that sometime after school, there would be a mysterious girl out there waiting for me. Though I saw it unfair that I had to go on through with this, I had to wonder, exactly what kind of girl would this be? Obviously, she had to be respectful if she agreed with her parents to go on this blind date, and the fact that her parents put her on a blind date would mean she was soft-spoken and had little experience with relationships. Then again, it could be that this girl is loudmouthed and annoying, and that no guy would ever go out with her, so her parents had no choice but to set up this blind date for her benefit. And I just happened to be the unlucky sap that was picked up.

Jeez, there should be a law against this sort of thing.

The last bell rang, and so, Haruhi shot out of the classroom like nuclear powered rocket to god-knows-where. I, however, wasn't as enthusiastic and wondered whether or not I should even show to today's meeting.

Sigh. This was a lot more trouble than I anticipated.

As I stood in front of the clubroom, I mentally prepared my next to nonexistent speech. The Literature Club door never seemed as intimidating as it did now, with the dozens of scratches left from Haruhi's foot. The hinges looked a little worn, like it was going to break any day now, but, nevertheless, I grabbed the doorknob.

Well, here goes nothing.

"Hey. I got stuff to do. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

…it sounded a lot better when I recited it in my head.

I looked around the clubroom and saw Nagato reading her latest thick foreign novel, Koizumi happily laying out a board game, and Asahina-san already cutely dressed in her maid outfit, carrying a trey of teacups.

How I wished I could stay for a cup, but I can't. I'm very sorry.

To my surprise, Haruhi popped her head from behind the computer at the back of the room and stared intently at me.

Crap. I didn't think she'd come here this early.

"Well, I guess I'll be going then."

I closed the door and silently made walked down the hallway. I had not made it three steps out before Haruhi busted out and dragged back into the clubroom like some sort of bloodhound. After pushing me in, she closed the door and beamed at the rest of her subordinates.

"All right, we have to spawn a sequel to our first movie _and_ make a band by this year's cultural festival. Now, we've still got the costumes, guns, and the camcorder, so shooting the movie will be a piece of cake, but the band's going to be a little trickier. Koizumi, you'll have to learn to play the drums."

"I'll get right on it."

He said obediently. Is there anything he _won't_ do for her?

"Mikuru-chan, you'll play the tambourine, and Yuki will play the base."

Asahina-san cutely sighed, relieved to be playing such a simple instrument, and Nagato didn't seem to be listening at all. Not as if it mattered. She could learn to play an instrument in less than three seconds if she wanted to.

"Now, as for you and I, we'll be on guitars."

She looked up at me and smiled with the intensity of thousand suns.

"…I'm sorry, I can't-"

"Don't worry, I'll teach you."

She assured, patting me on the back. She didn't even bother letting me finish that sentence.

"No, not that," I said, "I have to go."

"Why?"

She asked. Haruhi shot a glare at me, as if I was declaring mutiny on her. If that were possible, I would've declared it a long time ago.

"Well, you see…"

Surely, she could understand if I explained it to her. And, maybe if I said it lightheartedly, no one would take it seriously. Eh, who am I kidding? I'm screwed.

"I have a date."

I said. The atmosphere suddenly grew heavy. Koizumi's plastered smile instantly became stiffer, Asahina-san dropped her trey, spilling its contents all over the floor, and, though it was probably my imagination, Nagato flinched. Honestly, was it really that shocking to realize that I may have a life outside the SOS Brigade?

"…I won't allow it."

I was surprised to hear her say that.

"What do you mean?"

I asked.

"This person will distract you from your duties as a member of the SOS Brigade. I order you to break up with her and come here at once."

That's a little selfish, don't you think? And shouldn't you ask about my predicament before barking around orders?

"And I won't allow anymore recruits into this club, so don't think you can go over my head and sign her up."

Yeah, if I ever got a girlfriend, the last place I'd want her to be would be here.

"Do you hear me?"

She asked, glaring up at me. I glared back.

How self-centered could she be? She can't just expect me to drop everything and listen to her with the snap of her fingers. Though the world might revolve around Suzumiya Haruhi, my life _does not_. As small as it may be, I still have my own personal life, where the most important person is me. I am thinking reasonably, am I not?

"…this is absurd."

I said, lifting my gaze. I walked out the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

I said, making it pretty damn clear that I wasn't coming back.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything, I'm poor._

* * *

Now that I think about it, I shouldn't have done that. Though, I knew I was thinking rationally, she _did_ tend to distort reality when the world goes against her whims, and it was pretty unfair of me to leave a fuming Haruhi all alone with the rest of the SOS members. Still, I can't allow myself to back down now. She has to know there's a limit to her control, and if she can't deal with it, well, then I guess its Koizumi's problem then, along with the rest of his band of freaks. 

And so, with that at mind, I entered the class of 1-5, taking my seat in front of this so-called "god".

"Hey."

Haruhi ignored my greeting and set her eyes to the cloudless sky. With a scowl on her face and an aura of loathing surrounding her, I couldn't help but to ask,

"Is something wrong?"

"No."

That was obviously a lie.

"It doesn't seem like it."

"Could you just shut up?"

Haruhi snapped, raising her voice to a near scream. She didn't once avert her eyes from the window to look at me. Even though I had barely spoken to her, it was apparent that she already had enough of me.

"…fine."

I found myself murmuring. I turned my head to the front of the class and waited for the bell to ring.

If Haruhi was going to act this stubborn, fine. Let her be that way, but the least she could do is go right on ahead and admit that she's angry rather than ignoring me like this. C'mon! Say something here! I already have a silent person in my life, and, for her sake, I can say it suits her. But that's not you. You don't keep things inside. You explode impulsively until everything's destroyed. So, c'mon! Give me a reaction here! At least have the decency to ask how my date went. It's not like I go on a lot of them.

Haruhi laid her head down and ignored my silent pleas behind me.

This is too annoying.

* * *

I felt the silent fury behind me intensify every moment, building enough tension to crush a tin can. Fortunately, before I could crack under this pressure, Haruhi unleashed her rage in the form of kinetic energy and shot out of classroom when the lunch bell rang. 

Really, what was that about? There's no need to cause the end of the world over this, is there?

I had not even had the time to breathe a sigh before I heard a knock on the door. Naturally, I glanced at the intruder and saw Koizumi's dawdling smile standing out in the corridor. He nonchalantly waved at me.

I expected something like this would happen.

"What is it?"

I entered into the hallway leisurely and reflexively threw out the greeting. I already knew what the topic was about, so I might as well dive into it now.

Koizumi half-heartedly chuckled and revealed his perfect teeth.

"How was your date?"

The course of my date yesterday, in my opinion, was rather bland. The date in question was more of a friendly outing than anything else. We went out to eat, watched a movie, talked sequentially, but there was no spark between us. Hmm…perhaps this was because of the pressure from our parents to like each other. I don't even think I remember the girl's name. Let's see…what was it? Was it Asa? Ayu? …Chi? Ah, well, it doesn't matter. I'll probably never see her again, but, there's no reason why I should tell him that.

"It was great."

I watched as Koizumi nodded understandingly.

"I fully endorse your need to socialize intimately with people, and, if I were to have the chance, I too would do the same."

I wondered, did that mean that the "Organization" was filled with a bunch of occult maniacs who were ruled strictly by some code? Or did he simply mean that there was a lack of a love interest in his esper life? Either way, I feel sorry for whoever might Koizumi fancy. If this person were to find out how dry and phony his personality was, surely, she would be repelled.

"But, I think it would be in your best interest to stop now."

Wait, was that a threat?

"Threat? No. I was merely referring to Suzumiya-san's condition."

He lifted his shoulders into an exaggerated shrug.

"Ever since yesterday afternoon, there have been outbursts of closed spaces. No doubt, this uprising was caused by you."

Hey, don't pan your problems on me. I didn't do anything wrong. If it's anyone's fault it would be Haruhi for being so nonsensical.

Koizumi sustained his cheerful smile and said,

"That may be so, but if things keep escalating like this, Judgment Day may by upon us."

Judgment Day? Don't tell me she's actually ending of the world over this. Then again, this isn't that surprising. She did the same thing with that baseball tournament. Jeez Haruhi, you're such a pain.

"Indeed, with the way things are going, Suzumiya-san will construct a world where you will be alone forever."

I shuddered at the thought.

"I'm kidding."

Koizumi dramatically threw the palm of his hand forward to emphasize that point.

"More likely, she'll recreate this world with the exception of altering some of your past decisions, in particular, your choice to skip on our club meeting yesterday."

His tone took a more serious approach.

"…and, of course, there will be other differences in this new world, like the nonexistence of aliens, time travelers, and espers."

…what do you mean by that? Is this some attempt at another lame joke? Haruhi's practically obsessed with them, and that's the sole reason why the brigade was founded in the first place. Why would she not include them in the new world? I thought if she were to recreate the world, it would be filled with them.

"On contrary, Suzumiya-san is currently more grounded to reality than ever in the past. Her eccentric behavior to finding them has toned down to not caring whether or not they even exist. So, if she were to remake the world now, it would be natural to not include them."

Looking back, that statement made some sense. The club had been involved in two citywide searches of extraordinary mysteries. The first was with the whole club, and the second was with just Haruhi alone. And ever since the closed space incident, we've rarely done any searching, if you exclude that one week. Since then, we've become the sort of club that just has fun, the very thing Haruhi said she didn't want.

It seemed like Haruhi had become more content with her high school life, and, at the same time, the complete opposite had happened to me. Though I had whined and complained ever since I was brought into the world of paranormal occurrences and not-so-ordinary people, I had to admit, it was a lot more interesting than the world I thought I knew. In fact, I had even once decided in the past that this world was much better than the normal one I seemed to crave, but I would rather not talk about that incident.

"For someone who's about to lose their powers, you don't seem concerned. I mean, if the world changes, what will you use to fight off the Shinjin?"

I remembered the gray colorless world where those blue giants dwelled. No matter how many people were involved in the "Organization", I find it hard to think that they could take down one of those giants with physical force alone.

"Let me assure you, I'm as concerned as you are when it comes to this, but who's to say this isn't a bad thing. With Suzumiya-san being more reasonable, there's a possibility that she will find a new, more practical method to vent her frustration. Closed spaces and Shinjin may not even exist in this new world, and the need for espers would be unnecessary."

Koizumi expressed his thoughts smoothly with his sincere and composed voice.

"And a chance for people like me to live a normal life would be nice as well."

For a brief moment, I considered whether or not Koizumi liked being an esper.

"Those are some of the opinions the people in the 'Organization' think...but, for the sake of preserving this world's memories, my superiors have decided that these closed spaces still can't be left to expand."

Koizumi wearily smirked.

"And if you were to make amends with Suzumiya-san now, it would be of great help to that cause."

After his plea, I pretended to think for a few moments. It was obvious that I had to confront Haruhi, but the fact that Koizumi was telling me to do this made me want to do it less.

"…fine, I'll try, but I won't make any promises. Don't expect me to reduce myself to becoming Haruhi's whipping boy."

"That much is appreciated."

Koizumi bowed slightly, signaling his gratitude, and looked up to me with his trademark smile.

"I won't be able to make it to today's meeting. I'm sure you understand. I leave you the responsibility to tell that to Suzumiya-san for me."

He turned around and waved goodbye with the back of his hand.

"Oh," he added, turning his head back to look at me, "If it just so happens that you fall out of Suzumiya-san's favor, I may have to step in and take actions into my own hands."

And then he left.

The meaning to those words, I haven't got a clue.

* * *

After the last bell rang, I mechanically walked over to the clubroom. I haven't had the chance to talk to Haruhi yet, but I knew sooner or later she would be there. She wouldn't be the SOS Brigade commander if she didn't. Now, I didn't particularly have a plan on what to say, but I wasn't going to apologize to her, that's for sure. 

I knocked on the door and heard Asahina-san's sweet voice prominently greet me.

"Come in!"

I opened the door and saw Asahina-san, holding a tea trey closely in her arms. To the left of her, Nagato was silently reading in the corner.

"Hey."

I took a seat at the table and waited.

Haruhi was well on her way to create a completely normal world, and it was my job to stop that. There's a bit of irony in that.

I wonder what Haruhi's version of a normal world would be like. It would probably be a lot different that Nagato's version. If what Koizumi said was true, then it would be a world without aliens, time travelers, and espers, but wait, exactly how would that work? I went back in time to Tanabata to save the world, yelling out John Smith to a young Haruhi and helping her draw symbols on the ground. If she were to recreate the world now, time travel wouldn't exist, meaning I wouldn't be able to do that. So then, Haruhi would have never enrolled into North High, but if what Koizumi said was right, and that Haruhi just wanted to change yesterday, then that would mean she _did_ enroll, and that I did go into the past, but that's impossible, since time travel wouldn't exist. So, doesn't that mean that the future has some sort of safeguard against Haruhi, since I've went into the past? Or could Haruhi really change everything so easiliy? Taking this argument into a broad perspective, this would be Asahina-san's theory versus Koizumi's. Who's right, I don't know. Though, if the thought data entity chose a side...jeez, this is too much to think about.

Taking time to relax my brain, I my eyes drifted to the embroidered laces of Asahina-san's apron. Her hot figure couldn't be concealed underneath that maid outfit. With her short stature and youthful persona, it was hard to believe that she was older than me. Then again, those developing busts seemed to disprove my theory. My gaze lifted up to her soft pink lips, which seemed moist from what seemed to be lip gloss, and then up to those big round bright eyes…which were staring right back at me.

Crap! Did she notice I was staring at her?

"Kyon-kun…"

Asahina-san blushed and looked down.

"…I-I'll get you some tea."

Stupid! Stupid! She must think I'm some kind of pervert now!

From the corner of my eye, I saw Asahina-san, fretfully pouring tea out of the kettle into a cup. Nagato probably saw me there, but with her, she could see a plane crash and still apathetically return to reading.

"…um"

Asahina-san stood beside me and apprehensively offered me a cup, and, being a gentleman, I nervously smiled and received it.

"Thanks."

I murmured. I would have to remind myself to bash my head into a wall for being so disrespectful.

"…Kyon-kun."

I looked up to see her blushing furiously.

"…h-how was your date?"

Amidst her reddening face, I was reading another emotion other than embarrassment. Was this possibly jealousy? Oh, I'm touched! For you to be concerned of me socializing with another woman, it's just too cute! I'm also relieved that your nervousness wasn't from my gazing. I guess you didn't catch that. Thank God.

Asahina-san looked at me patiently, anticipating my answer.

Now, I could tell her the truth and say that the date was okay and mildly fun, but…

"It was terrible."

I lied. And I don't regret it. Though it was morally wrong, there was no way I would ever intentionally dampen Asahina-san's spirits. I wouldn't even think about doing so.

"It was absolutely terrible. With traffic and, uh, stuff, my date couldn't even come, and so I pretty much just waited the whole day."

"Oh, I'm sorry. It must be hard on you."

Her flushed face quickly revealed worry and remorse. Oh Asahina-san! I am not worthy of your pity!

"Oh, no, not so much really…"

I brought the cup to my mouth and savored its refreshing contents.

"Well, I think it was mean of this girl to leave you waiting. If it had been me, I would've at least called."

She stopped and blushed at what she said.

The fact that she considered me as her boyfriend was enough to make start doing back flips in the air. Even though it was inadvertent, I think I felt my heart skip a beat.

Asahina-san started to fumble her fingers around and started to laugh uncomfortably.

"Asahina-san…"

I looked at her beautiful blushing face and decided to do something bold. This was something so bold, so courageous, and so inept, that it was sure to send the Asahina Mikuru fan club to my front door to mass murder me. Still, I ever so casually spoke to her.

"Say, I was thinking of catching a movie tomorrow. Do you...want to…well...go…with me…"

I tried to pretend to not care, but my heart was practically lodged in my throat.

Man, I should've thought about this before I asked. She was probably going to say "no". It was her job to watch Haruhi and make sure she wouldn't go berserk. Of course she wasn't going to say "yes". Aw jeez, this is going to make it uncomfortable every time we meet. By saying that one phrase, I've virtually destroyed our daily friendly conversations. There would be no "Hello Kyon-kun!" anytime I came to the clubroom, just a "Hi" with a long dreary silence at the end of it. Aw, damn it. I never should've asked. This was the stupidest idea I've ever had. Hell, why did I even ask? I mean, Nagato's in the room with us for God's sake. Someone put me out of my misery. Maybe if I pretended it was a joke, I might be able to save-

"That would nice."

"…really?"

Asahina-san nodded profusely and looked toward the floor with her flushed face. I took this as a sign of embarrassment.

"Ah…well, okay."

No amount of words could express how I felt, so I'll leave you to imagine what was happening in my head at that moment.

Just as my body was settling from its sudden endorphin inducement, Haruhi kicked the door open, causing the happiest moment in my life to be short-lived. The free careless cheerful mood of the room abruptly changed into one that was similar to a Nazi death camp. Haruhi stormed into the room, carrying a dark cloud of bitterness above her head, and walked over to a horrified Asahina-san. Asahina-san was completely petrified, as if she were about to get tackled by a bear, but to her relief, Haruhi just passed her and plopped herself angrily at the commander's seat.

The self-proclaimed brigade leader had arrived.

"Where's Koizumi?"

Her words weren't directed to anyone in particular, but since Asahina-san didn't know and Nagato surely wasn't going to speak, I answered her question.

"Koizumi has work. He won't be able to make it today."

Haruhi grunted and started to surf the internet, refusing to look at me. Honestly, how long is she going to keep this up?

It crossed my mind that there was a possibility that Haruhi had been listening in on me and Asahina-san, and by looking at Asahina-san's expression, it apparently crossed her mind too. But, I very much doubt that. Haruhi doing something discreetly was something I couldn't picture.

I looked over at Nagato who was absorbed in some bulky overseas novel. It seemed like she was unaffected with everything going on around her. Though she witnessed my and Asahina-san's conversation, I don't think she would tell Haruhi about that, or any less, talk, for that matter, so, the date I had scheduled was more or less private.

Asahina-san quickly poured another cup of tea. She shut her eyes and extended her arms, like it was some sort of offering to God.

"Suzumiya-san, would-"

"No."

Asahina-san winced from her response, as if every word that would come out of her mouth was set to detonate. She backed off and scrambled to a seat.

With Haruhi's glum attitude spreading around the room, I couldn't help but to feel disheartened myself. The little sentiment I had to settle everything immediately had diminished. At this moment, I felt that saving the world would have to wait until later.

And so, deprived of my will, I settled with counting the ceiling tiles instead of talking to her right away. Asahina-san started to knit fearfully, Nagato kept on reading, and Haruhi tinkered with the computer. All in all, it was one of the more uneventful days of the SOS Brigade, a sign that there was something bad about to happen.

* * *

I knew I had to do something or else the world I knew would be discarded. I had Haruhi in my sights, and I couldn't let her leave without confronting her. It wasn't an option for me. 

I decided it would be best if I got her alone first. Without Asahina-san's panicked cries or Nagato's silent presence over my shoulder I would probably be able to speak to her more confidently. And that was pretty much the plan that I had formulated inside my head in the duration of the "club meeting".

So when I heard the sound of Nagato's book closing, my senses perked up and my eyes focused on the one thing that was the cause for all of my stress: Haruhi.

I said my goodbyes and left the room with Nagato, leaving the two girls inside the room. Now, I understood that Asahina-san had stay to change clothes, but Haruhi? Was she waiting until I left the school grounds before she left herself? If so, she's more stubborn than I thought.

I looked to the side to see Nagato silently standing beside me. It was surprising that she hadn't gone off to her apartment yet, since I had been standing beside the door for quite some time.

"I think I'll stay around a bit longer. I have something to take care of."

I told her.

She blatantly gazed up at me for several moments, almost looking like she was reluctant to go. I couldn't help but to be drawn deep into the depths of Nagato's obsidian eyes, where I saw signs of worry and distress. Maybe I was imagining these emotions inside her, but I could swear that at that moment, it looked like she was concerned about me. She blinked before I could read any further and lowered her gaze. Her head tilted and she turned around silently. Faintly, I heard her say a word.

"Goodbye."

I watched her walk down the hall with her ghostly footsteps.

Well, that was unexpected.

* * *

I watched as Asahina-san opened the door and shut it courteously. When she saw me, she lifted her hand to her mouth in surprise. 

"Kyon-kun, why are you still here?"

"I, uh, have something to care of."

Though I had only used that line once before, and I already found it tiresome to say.

"Oh, hrmm…"

Asahina-san glanced at her shoes, as if she were to blame for Haruhi's condition. There was no doubt that she was thinking that, and to confirm my theory, she had even said,

"About tomorrow…I don't think we should…"

She didn't finish that statement, but I understood. I could understand how she must feel right now, but damn it, I _really_ wanted this to work.

"Hey, as stubborn as Haruhi is, she can't object if we go out as friends. There's nothing wrong in that is there?"

I smiled my best in order to comfort her while still being able to keep the plans I had made. Yes, I had used the "f" word, but the meaning's all the same, isn't it?

"…no."

Asahina-san managed to meagerly smile back, though it looked like she was about to burst into tears at any moment.

Oh, there's no need to torture yourself over this. It's not your fault. It's all Haruhi's for being so selfish, so please don't cry! But if you really need to, you're welcome to use my shoulder to dry those tears.

Asahina-san nodded her head and walked away.

"Bye-bye! I-I'll see you tomorrow!"

She waved to me before leaving the hall. Once she disappeared from my sight, I decided to enter the room to talk to Haruhi.

* * *

The sun had cast an orange glow to the clubroom, and Haruhi was standing tall with her arms crossed, looking out the window. Was she waiting to see me? 

"Haruhi."

I called to her, but she didn't answer.

"Haruhi."

She still didn't budge. This was ridiculous. She had probably already noticed I was here but was refusing to look at me. I wonder how long she can keep this up. If I were to not do anything, would she ignore me for the rest of the school year? I admit, it sounds appealing, but the fate of the world rests on me doing this. It's a shame, isn't it?

"Haruhi."

I put my hand on her shoulder to get her attention.

It was sudden. I felt Haruhi jerk back and rip my hand off of her with her inhumanly brute strength, and I was thrown a few steps back. How had Haruhi become this strong, I may never know.

From the moment I met Haruhi, I had observed her moods. I had seen various different sides of her, from melancholy, to boredom, to the bouncing enthusiastic schoolgirl I got used to. But this was the first time I had seen her look _this_ infuriated. It was like she wanted me to disappear out of her sight, and perhaps that _was_ what she was doing. This was the first time I had ever saw this scary side of her, and this was the first time I ever actually felt scared of her.

"What!"

She shouted while corrosively glaring at me with those fiery eyes. With the orange sun radiating behind her, it felt like I was being yelled at from a deity. Now, I knew for a fact that she wasn't God, but, at this moment, she could play the devil quite well.

"What is your problem?"

I combated her anger with my own. Though I glared back and changed the tone of my voice, it still didn't feel enough to match Haruhi's awesome emotion.

"Nothing."

"…"

At this point, my mind drew an absolute blank. I had no idea what to say next. Throughout my planning, I guess I should've included a script of words to say. Hmm…maybe if I try staring her down, I could squeeze something out of her.

"…"

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Haruhi's continued glaring, apparently untouched by my "intimidating" stare, and answered with an annoyed voice. She took a few steps toward the door and circled around the table. With her crossed arms and firm scowl on her face, she stood there, impatiently waiting for me to reply.

"Because…I know you're lying."

Without any plan, I pretty much said whatever came to mind.

"Now, I may not be smart, but I can see that it's pretty damn obvious that something's wrong with you. You've been angry and depressed ever since you came to school, and you've been getting worse by the minute. So why don't you make this easier on me and tell me directly, because I'm enjoying talking with you just as much as you are right now."

I regretted how I worded that, and even more so, how angry I sounded when I said it. I suppose it would've been better if I hadn't cursed at her either.

"You…_really_…want to know?"

Haruhi shook her head and a thin smile stretched across her face.

"I've been thinking about _you_."

Her eyes glistened as she paced in front of me.

"I am sick and tired of your lazy attitude. All you do during club activities is mumble and complain. Not once have you ever supported me on any ideas I come up with. You're cynical, pessimistic, and frankly, you're an idiot."

I continued to listen to her rant and took in every insulting word she had to offer. I was able to do this because I knew she was speaking blasphemy. If she knew what I had done to insure this reality's existence, she probably would've shut up by now, but since she couldn't know, all I could do was stand there and wait patiently for her to stop.

"…I don't even know why I even bother keeping you in the club."

She ended there, but I decided to push her further.

"So why do you, then?"

Truthfully, this wasn't such a random question. This question had been in the back of my mind for quite some time. Haruhi had wanted a mysterious transfer student, a moé mascot, and had also received an indispensable silent character. So, where does that leave me? Even after I learned all of the SOS members' identities, there was still that question. I wasn't an alien, time traveler, esper, or even a slider. I was completely normal, boring in every aspect and nature, so why was I dragged into all of this? It was truly an anomaly.

If I hadn't sat in front of Haruhi at the beginning of the school year, would some other guy replace me? Would it be some other guy that would run meaningless errands around town? Would it be some other guy that would go back in time to save the world? Would it be some other guy that would be trapped in the closed space with Haruhi? Or was there actually something special with me? I just wanted to know, _why me_? _Why was is it that I'm here?_

Who am I kidding? There's probably not an answer to that question, and if there was, Haruhi wouldn't know either.

Haruhi looked like she had been slapped. Her head tilted forward and her bangs covered her eyes.

"You're right."

She said monotonously. To me, she looked like someone who had just realized the world wasn't flat after all.

"You're absolutely right."

Haruhi walked toward the door and opened it, leaving me to look at her backside.

"From here on out, I don't ever want to see you in my clubroom again."

And then she left.

* * *

AN: I'm not really that good of a writer, now that I think about it. I have this uncanny perk to start off every story with the end, completely disregarding the beginning and middle. So, when I wrote down, "And then she left," I hadn't really thought of how to build up to that point. With that said, I had to write four thousand words of new content before I could type up what I originally came up with. It doesn't seem worth the trouble, doesn't it? Well, looking back at what I made, I can say that four thousand words exceeded my expectations. I didn't plan on this chapter to be this long, since I usually only write a maximum of two thousand, but here it is. Four thousand words. Wow. 

On another note, I don't think that this could ever possibly happen in the novels or the anime, but I still tried keep everyone in basic character. It's especially hard to do since I'm dealing with an angry Haruhi, a more bold, but dense Kyon, and a seemingly out of character Mikuru who has just accepted a "date" for the sake of moving the plot, so forgive me for those discrepancies or any others I missed.

Until next chapter, _Ivan Run Elmore_


	3. Chapter 3

It was the morning after my expulsion. I had half-expected that I would remember that event, but I did, and since I did, that meant Haruhi hadn't destroyed the world yet, a huge relief on the world's part. 

"Kyonkyon!"

I heard my sister's shrill voice greet me with that stupid nickname. Without even knocking, she popped her little head inside my room and jumped inside. Immediately, I started to feel my backside being shoved with her small arms.

"Wake up!"

I persisted and blindly waved my arm at her, even as she started to brutally beat me senseless with a pillow.

Not to say that I was flung into depression ever since Haruhi dramatically kicked me out of the SOS club, I just didn't want to get out of the warm haven that was my bed. In fact, my feelings on that particular event are on par to a guy who has just watched his favorite sports team lose to an obviously much more experienced and well built team: disappointed, but not shocked.

"Go away!"

I growled.

"And knock before entering!"

My sister switched to plan B and grabbed the calico slumbering at the foot of my bed. Shamisen, in a half dazed and half confused state, began to claw the air furiously to get back onto the ground, and so my sister shoved the furball into my face, which was a sure fire way to get me out of bed.

These methods of waking me up are sure getting cruel. I almost prefer the elbow.

* * *

I went to school accordingly, mechanically living life in a normal fashion. The seat behind me remained notably empty throughout the entire day. Whether Haruhi was sick or, more likely, just avoiding me, I didn't care anymore, nor did I need to. As I saw it, the responsibility to keep Haruhi in check was thrown out the window, along with my SOS Brigade membership. And now that Haruhi was grounded to reality, I really didn't have a purpose in that club anymore. And since there was really no need for me, she let me go. It was as simple as that. I guess that's why the world didn't end. There's no need to do that over something as trivial as this. 

There were no hints from the future or any escape programs that I could use to return to my old life. I had officially entered into a normal life, and it was done so without data manipulation or recreating the world. And so, I just enjoyed my day feeling disappointed, but not that shocked.

Lectures flowed through one ear and out the other during class, and as quickly the first bell rang, the last went off, signaling my feet to arbitrarily head to the clubroom. It was a pattern I just couldn't seem to shake off. Before I even knew it, I was in front of the Literature Club door.

At this time, Nagato was probably reading behind this door along with Asahina-san, who would be brewing some tea by now. Koizumi may very well be there too, grinning idiotically before the world. Part of me wanted to grab onto the doorknob, but my better judgment took over. Haruhi said she didn't ever want to see me again, and the least I could do is contribute to those wishes. So, instead, I rushed directly home.

Club activities were beyond me now. I had other things to take care of, like, for instance, the date I planned with Asahina-san. Hopefully, I can scrap up a relationship with her even if I _was_ disbanded from the group.

* * *

"Kyon-kun! You're here early!" 

My little sister stated the obvious as I came home. The sky outside was free of clouds, leaving the sun to beat down on me relentlessly as I walked home. Needless to say, I was relieved with the change of temperature when I stepped inside.

"Yeah, so what?"

I asked.

"Don't you have that club with Haru-nyan? Or was it cancelled today?"

"It's cancelled, but that's only for me."

"…huh?"

She looked down and brought her finger to her mouth, wrapping her brain around that statement. I put my hand on her head and ruffled her hair.

"Don't think too much about it."

I hadn't told her about the following course of events yesterday had partaken. I guess I ought to take the time to tell her, but I don't think I'll do it right now. Come to think of it, I haven't told anyone about my predicament. Nagato might know something, but I doubt she'll say anything to anyone. Well, eventually, everyone else will figure it out for themselves sooner or later.

I took a moment to sigh, and halfheartedly swung the door shut…

It happened before I could leave the foyer. In a sudden instance, the door was caught before it was closed completely. Afterwards, there was a knock on the door, followed by a self-narration.

"Knock knock."

I turned around and found what looked to be an elementary school kid lingering at the open front door. He looked to be as old as my sister, but other than that, there were no astounding features about him. From his looks, he could very well be a medium for all children in society.

"Hi there, am I interrupting something?"

Sounding like a tired radio host who was speaking with his three hundredth caller of the day, the boy entered into the foyer without even asking for permission. He slid his hand across the door frame and glanced into his palm, expecting dust to be smeared against it, and suddenly clenched his fist immediately before rubbing it on his shoulder.

He looked at me with an expression of dry intent. The boy opened his mouth to say something, but…

"Have I seen you before?"

My sister piped in from behind me. The boy suddenly turned his attention to her and stared bluntly for a few seconds. After a lengthy pause, the boy clicked his tongue twice, pointed at her ecstatically, and said,

"No."

He looked back up to me.

"Look, I'm a really big fan of your work, but I'll set aside the condolences and just ask you for a moment of your time, so, if you will…"

"Who are you?"

I interjected. Frankly, his presence pissed me off. With the lack of respect he showed by entering without asking and the know-it-all smile that radiated from his face, I would've punched his lights out if he was a little older, but maybe I was thinking this _because_ he was so small.

"I'm a slider."

He replied wryly.

"…"

I took my time digesting this piece of information. Koizumi denied their existence, but here I was, face to face of what appeared to be one of them. I had always had my suspicions, but…was this really the hidden trans-dimensional drifter at my doorstep? Why would he choose now to reveal himself? And plus, I've always imagined this guy to be…bigger.

"I'm lying, you idiot. Don't take me seriously. There are no such things as sliders. For your information, sliders cannot coexist with those three other groups you seem to know so well."

He scoffed. There was a certain ironic twist in his voice that made me dislike him even more. The boy opened his mouth once more only to be interrupted again.

"Um…what's a slider?"

My little sister once again butted into his face and started talking to him again. And again, the boy turned to her with a less than enthusiastic smile. He clicked his tongue and gave a definition.

"A slider, in literal meaning, is a person that slips due to loss of traction. It is also jargon for a fast pitch that curves slightly away from which it was thrown in the sport of baseball, and is also a type of freshwater turtle indigenous to North and South America. However, none of those definitions match the context of my word usage. By slider, I am implementing the connotation of a being that can travel through various alternate realities at will."

He let the words flow from his mouth as if he were reciting it from a vaguely interesting textbook.

"Ah..."

From the expression from her face, I could tell that most of what he said flowed right through her.

"A slider's ability to travel through various different time planes would tear down the foundations of time travel, as, time travel is based on predetermined destiny and not free will. Therefore, they cannot coexist…unless there's something I've overlooked here."

My sister stared vacantly at him. The boy clicked his tongue again.

"It would be best to not ask me any questions. You wouldn't really understand, and plus, I really hate questions, so, could you go away?"

"Why?"

The boy sighed at the inquiry. He looked around the floor of the entryway and picked up one of her shoes.

"I take it that this girly pink shoe is yours, am I correct?"

She nodded.

"Great."

The boy flipped the piece of footwear from the sole and back, feeling the texture and weighing it with his hands. And after his thorough examination, he shrugged and hurled it into the street.

"Fetch."

He said blankly. Now, that was just downright mean.

"What'd you do that for?!"

"You better hurry. It looks like there's heavy traffic up ahead."

The boy stated monotonously, giving off the impression that he really didn't care about the wellbeing of the shoe. My sister took a step back, looking unsure of whether to yell at him or run after her shoe. After that brief moment of indecision, she jolted outside, and as soon as she was, the boy shut the door on her and locked it.

"Heh, girls. They love their shoes, don't they?"

He sneered humorously and made his way into the kitchen.

"All right, what are you?"

I asked. His bizarre actions and keen knowledge had keyed me in that he wasn't as normal as he looked.

"Guess."

He said contemptuously.

"It'll be more fun that way."

The boy opened the fridge and started rummaging through its contents. Though he was crude and obnoxious, he apparently had something vital to tell me; otherwise he wouldn't have gone to my doorstep in the first place. So, I put up with his antics and played along.

"Slider."

I said the first thing that came into my head.

"Wrong!"

He blared out. Apparently, he was telling the truth about that.

"Hey! You got juice boxes! I haven't had one of these in three years! Of course, it was mainly because I outgrew them."

The boy briefly paused and thought for a second.

"Aren't you a little too old for juice boxes?"

"They're for my sister."

"Isn't _she_ a little too old for juice boxes?"

"It's none of your concern. How about an esper?"

I threw out another guess. It wouldn't surprise me if this kid was an esper, or esper related. His firsthand knowledge of me could've easily come from Koizumi or one of the higher ups in the "Organization". Hell, he might even be the "supreme leader" of the group.

"You wish. I bet you're just trying to categorize me along with those other morons to make it easier on yourself."

It was partially true.

The boy shut the fridge and hopped into the living room.

"This isn't as fun as I thought it would be. I'll just go right ahead and say it."

From deductive reasoning, I already figured out what he was going to say. Since slider and esper were out, and he was too human to be alien, that only left one group for sure. I feel like an idiot for not getting it earlier.

"I come…from the future."

The boy raised his free hand and dangled his fingers theatrically.

"Jeez, you must feel like an idiot. I even went out of my way to explain the whole slider-time traveler paradox."

He stuck the straw into the box and started sucking.

"All right, you're a time traveler. Now, what do you want?"

Instead of answering, the boy garbled up the drink slowly, taking his time to slurp the surface of liquid. I waited about ten seconds before I actually said something.

"Can you make this fast? I kind of have plans."

"Oh right, the date with the _other_ time traveler. If I was a girl, four years older, and as smart as a jellybean, I'd be jealous."

He beamed at me, making him look like a normal mischievous fifth grader, but all of that vanished when his irritating all-knowing persona came out.

"You must feel pretty weird, dating an older woman like that. I mean, she's like twenty years older than you."

I didn't know how to react at this comment. Exactly how old was my Asahina-san?

"What?"

"Let me explain. You see, in the future, stem cell research enabled scientists to create clones of organs and body parts, meaning that organ donors are no longer necessary. So, naturally, people live a great deal longer with this surplus of spare body parts in their fridges. In affect, aging has slowed to a literal stop and medical advances are no longer necessary, as people from the future are technically immortal with this development."

After staring intensely at me for several moments, he burst out laughing.

"Sorry about that. I couldn't help it. Being from the future, you can say tons of crap, and people will believe you."

The boy shook his head and put on a serious expression.

"But seriously, that sort of thing is illegal, you know."

Without giving me time to process that, he clapped his hands together.

"Okay, enough of that. Let's get to the point."

He made it sound like we were making some sort of business deal. The boy heaved a sigh, and bit his lip. He stood up and looked at me blatantly.

"Do you believe in fate?"

Why the hell was this kid even here? It seems to me like he's trying to waste my time rather than tell me anything.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

The boy gave me an emotionless glare. It was strange, as some of the color in his eyes had vanished.

"It deals with you."

He said icily.

"It's been said that free will is an illusion and that everything in the universe has a predetermined destination. Depending on the person and what's supposed to happen to them, this could be a good or bad thing. And, I know for for a fact, that, for you, it's a bad thing. It's a very, very bad thing."

He leaned forward, trying to look sincere.

"I'm really sorry to say this, but, today…is the day...you..."

As the words dangled from his mouth, a vague smirk could be traced on his face.

"Die."

* * *

AN: I think I'll stop here. In order to advance the plot somewhat, I had to create a new character. I didn't like the idea of creating one, so, I tried to make him unlikable. In the end, I think I've created an "eh" character. Hopefully, he's not one of those dreaded gary-sue types. Well, this guy is a very minor character. He doesn't really do much except for talk, and maybe do a few mean things. That's what I plan anyway. 

Well, that's it for now. Until the next chapter, _I. R. E._


	4. Chapter 4

AN: It's been awhile, but here's the fourth installment of The End of the World.

* * *

Death is the concept which describes what happens to a person after life. It's the untimely end for all organisms, and it's the basis for all the fear in the world. I, along with a mass majority of the population, have always depicted death to be a black robed skeleton holding a sickly sharp sickle, since it's the only image that matches how scary that conception really is. So, how should one naturally react when told that they're going to die? 

Theoretically, according to the psychiatrist Kübler-Ross, they go through the five stages of grief, starting with denial, then anger, bargaining, depression, and finally, acceptance. It's a cycle that most terminally ill patients seem to undergo.

However, I'm pretty sure I'm not terminally ill, and, certainly, the boy in front of me isn't a doctor. This boy was just someone saying he's from the future, claiming that I was going to die. Obviously, this has to be part of some sick joke.

And this line of thought certainly _does not_ come from denial.

"It sucks to be you, doesn't it?"

He stuck the straw in his mouth like a cigarette and plopped back down into his seat.

"Do you really expect me to believe that?"

He held the plastic tube between his teeth and spoke.

"Not really, I expect you to treat this like a joke and live the next few hours happily. That is, until you _ahem_ kick the bucket."

The boy shut his eyes.

"You see, I could care less if you live or die. I'm acting purely on impulse here. It's like how lactose intolerant people decide to eat scoops of pistachio ice cream, ignoring the consequences and thinking that the suffering in the future is worth the pleasure for some odd and unprovoked reason."

He looked up and scratched the side of his head.

"Actually, pistachio may not be the greatest example here. A good round majority of the population like vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry. But then again, I've always had a liking towards green tea ice cream, you don't think that's strange, do you?"

You're getting off subject. And plus, that was a very lame metaphor.

"Simile," he corrected, "but you're right. I _am_ getting off topic, ain't I? Maybe it's because I'm craving something frozen right now."

The boy spoke dully, losing interest in his goal to warn me of my so-called future.

"All right, a long time ago in the far future, I was looking through some random obituaries. Now, why I was doing that, I don't remember. I was young and did a lot of weird things then. It's all a complete blur to me now, _but_…I remember coming across your name somewhere."

He shut his eyes halfway and chewed on the straw.

"And when I just happened to come by your house today during this time period, I just happened to remember that you live here, and so, I thought I might as well tell you."

I followed along with what he said, but with his tired and relaxed tone, I couldn't help but to feel a little irritated with his behavior. Though there's the possibility everything he was saying was a prank, he shouldn't be taking this subject lightly with me. This _is_ about me, isn't it?

"Why are you telling me this?"

I asked, though, his answer really didn't matter. He was already branded a liar in my head.

"Because…"

He tilted his head and a wicked smile appeared on the boy's face.

"I'm bored."

He laughed with the back of his throat and then abruptly returned to his bored expression.

"I thought things here would end out different, but, since no one's here to stop me, it's apparently useless anyway."

The boy scoffed and looked to the side. Though he looked angered and melancholic, his tone demanded no empathy, and so, I gave him none.

"Is that all you wanted to say?"

He narrowed his eyes at me, shooting imaginary darts into my face.

"Yeah, that's all."

After he uttered those words, the boy crushed the juice box in his hands and tossed it over to me.

"It's about time that I've left. Recycle that for me, would ya? You'll thank me in the future."

It was at that moment I realized how much this kid annoyed me.

And so, the boy, without providing me any help on the matter whatsoever, waved goodbye and hastily walked out of my sight.

"I'll see you at the funeral, but until then, I expect you to get some health insurance."

He cackled at his own joke and made his leave…however, his exit was abruptly cut when he opened the door. A tiny fist flew out and nailed the boy in the face. The force was apparently enough to knock him off his feet.

"You ruined it!"

My little sister yelled at him as she held out her shoe…tattered with tire tracks.

"I'm sorry, what'd you say? The pain blocked my ears."

The boy said covering his nose. Though I've never seen my sister fight, this was proof that she knew how to throw a punch. To be honest, I'm impressed.

"After you threw my shoe in the street, a long line of cars ran over it! How am I supposed to wear this now?! It's all torn and dirty!"

"I could throw the other one out into the street."

He suggested indifferently. The boy stood up and faced her.

"If it gets run over, it'll make a matching pair."

"That's not what I want!"

She fumed. It looked like she was about to throw a tantrum, or maybe even start beating this kid up, but that's just me getting my hopes up there.

"Well, what _do_ you want?"

The boy, seemingly tired and annoyed, responded to my sister's anger with exasperating apathy.

"I want you to apologize and get me another pair of shoes!"

The boy idly looked at her for several seconds and replied,

"I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because you're being selfish, and I don't want to. Now move. You're killing my exit."

"Compensate me!"

She extended out her arms, barricading him inside the home. The boy stared at her for a few moments and then sighed. He swayed his head to the side and cupped his hand around her cheek.

"Look here doll face, it's cute and all that you've got the guts to play ball with the big boys, but…don't mess with the kingpin when you don't even know the rules to the game, otherwise, you might have to start washing your neck early."

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

"I ain't no patsy. And I never won't take no nothing from no one, you hear me?"

"…what?"

After stringing those negatives together, the boy kicked her in the shins and walked over her body as she fell to the floor.

"Oof! Dang it!"

She yelled, clutching onto her throbbing leg. I would've helped her up, but, seeing her like this was a very rare occasion for me. To be angry instead of lulling in her usual happy-go-lucky mood was uncharacteristic and very entertaining to watch. And plus, it didn't look like she wanted any help.

She frantically lifted herself up and limped over to the door side. She glared at the far-off boy, but resigned herself to trudge back to her room. I heard her mumble something angrily as she passed by me.

"What a jerk…"

* * *

I pedaled my bike as fast as I could, ignoring everything that came my way. If a giant komodo sprang up from the ground and attacked me, I would run that over. If the ground turned into liquid concrete, I would ride fast enough to skip over it. Hell, if God raised the ground in front of me to make a cascading wall, I would conquer gravity itself and ride up that cliff face without a second thought. Why? Simple. I had a date with Asahina-san. 

This was the first time me and Asahina-san would meet together alone, without any time related activities. This was perfectly out of our own free will and this ought to be the happiest day of my life. Screw that kid with that deathly premonition. I've got an angel waiting on me.

The finish line was the restaurant where the SOS Brigade occasionally gathered, since this had been established prior to my dismemberment, but I didn't have any problem with it, nor did I feel any nostalgia toward the building. That's to be expected, as I was disbanded just yesterday.

"Aho-"

I heard Asahina-san's voice as I walked inside the restaurant. She covered her mouth with her small hands to prevent calling out to me from and blushed furiously. She settled with waving out to me from one of the booths.

"Sorry, did you wait long?"

I said, sitting down across from her.

"…"

She stayed silent, looking down into her lap. Asahina-san seemed so eager to speak to me, but, at the same time, upset at me, causing her to hesitantly glance up at me several times before saying anything. It was cute to see her blundered like this.

"Kyon-kun…"

She said finally. Asahina-san spoke up to me, determined to get an answer out of me. I detected no anger in her voice. Rather, she seemed to be concerned about me. Oh, how sweet it is for you to care. I almost feel blessed.

"…you weren't at the clubroom today…why?"

Her teary eyes gazed up at me with exoneration. Oh, it must've been horrible for her when she didn't see me in the clubroom today. She must've been worried sick about my absence. Hmm, now that I think about it, Asahina-san should've been left alone with Nagato and... Koizumi. Jeez, that bastard. He better not had done anything to either of them. But now's not the time to think about this.

"Oh, that?" I said simply, "Haruhi and I just got into a little fight. In the end, I was kicked out of the club."

Her eyes widened with shock.

"About what?"

She asked. Asahina-san shifted in her seat.

"Something stupid, it doesn't matter anymore."

I promptly answered. I wasn't too thrilled with the prospect of going over this subject with her. After all, it dealt with my pointlessly random place in the SOS Brigade.

A sudden thought hit me.

"Wait, didn't anyone tell you this?"

Unlike the other SOS members, Asahina-san was normal and had no outside resources to tell her what happened yesterday, other than her ambiguous superiors, but surely, Koizumi should've said something to you.

Asahina-san looked down solemnly, as if recalling a bad memory.

"Mmh…Koizumi and Nagato didn't come to today's meeting, so Suzumiya-san said it was okay for me to go home early."

Her statement hit me hard. I think I might've actually lost my breath. I don't know what to be more shocked over, the fact that Koizumi and Nagato weren't present at the clubroom, or the fact that Haruhi had the nerve to ditch class to avoid me, and still go to her club after school.

I don't know how long I was lost in thought, but Asahina-san brought me back to my senses before too much time had passed.

"Kyon-kun…promise me you'll make up with Suzumiya-san."

I stared into my senpai's cute petite face. Damn it, I just want to jump across the table and hug her.

"…fine," I said reluctantly, "I'll see what I can do."

I remembered saying the same thing to Koizumi. I also remembered that in the duration of that same day, I was faced with the wrath of Haruhi. I wonder, will something along those lines happen to me today? I really hope not.

Asahina-san smiled and nodded her head.

"Good, but until then, you don't mind taking me out to the movies, do you?"

I was caught off guard by the question. I pretty much figured that she'd want to call whole thing off and encourage me to apologize immediately, not that I was complaining. This is a thousand times better than doing that.

"Of course not."

* * *

While sitting in the theatre, I took in the pleasant image of Asahina-san next to me. Speaking of which, I haven't mentioned her apparel yet. Her attire today consisted of mainly red, which matched her angel hair and cherry lips. She also seemed to be holding a brown corduroy purse securely in her small hands. Though, I admit, she seemed to be a little overdressed for our "friendly get-together", but that made me all the happier. 

The screen in front of us currently was projecting out a generic romance film. I've already seen this particular movie on my previous escapade with what's-her-face a few days back. Why was I watching it again? Well, I just couldn't shoot down Asahina-san's plea when she pointed it out to me and asked, "Can we?"

Eh, what can I say? I'm a sucker for a pretty face. And besides, I had some things to think about.

A fleeting image of Haruhi alone in the clubroom came to mind.

Right, Koizumi wouldn't be at club due to closed spaces. There's no other reason for him to not be there. That would mean the world is still on the brink of destruction. Jeez, I guess I shouldn't have jumped the gun and thought everything was okay. But, as for Nagato, why wasn't she there? If anything, she would be the one who would still be in that corner even after the world ends. This was an anomaly, especially with those last words of hers.

_"Goodbye."_

Alright, _word _then, but still, what was that supposed to mean? Was she simply doing a friendly humanly gesture, or was there some ulterior motive to that. Maybe she's taking a sick leave or something. Or…quite possibly, she could've been bidding farewell to the SOS Brigade as well to me, but that's ridiculous. There's no reason for her to do that, is there?

…damn kid. Okay, alright, I admit the possibility that he _could_ be telling the truth, but I'm far from imagining a crazed Asahina-san wielding a giant cleaver. And I'm even farther from taking a metal bat with me everywhere.

Hypothetically, if I were to be murdered, it might explain her absence. She could be off somewhere fighting for my life, like with the incident with Asakura. That sort of makes sense, but, is that really all there is to it? The way I figure it, the only reason anyone would want to take me out would be for stirring Haruhi's emotions, so the only group troubled by that would be…

_"If it just so happens that you fall out of Suzumiya-san's favor, I may have to step in and take actions into my own hands."_

Would one of these actions per chance be getting rid of the root of the problem? Is Nagato fighting with members of the "Organization"? I hadn't thought about it before, but, Koizumi's a pretty frightening character with those murder games under his belt. And with the "Organization" backing him up, it's possible he could actually pull it off without arousing any suspicion towards himself.

But, then again, is the "Organization" really after me? If Haruhi was truly angry at me, she could easily smite me down with lightning subconsciously. Just give her someone's name and face, and I bet she could pretty much take out anyone with a heartattack. So, if I were really the source of Haruhi's frustration, wouldn't I already be experiencing some very unfortunate events? I mean, right now, I feel perfectly fine, unless…

I heard Asahina-san gasp right next to me. She covered her mouth and tears streamed off onto her rosy cheeks. The movie ended.

* * *

I walked out of the theatre with Asahina-san at my side. Her eyes were red from crying so much. I hadn't expected her to be this emotional, but that made her even cuter. 

"It's so sad."

I heard her say. By coincidence, this is same way that other girl acted when I took her to watch this movie. Huh, I've watched it twice, but I still feel nothing. Does this make me a robot, or are the girls I take out supersensitive? Ah, well, it doesn't matter.

I closed my eyes and sighed, and when I opened them…

I saw her.

She was standing in the street, limping over to the side with her head hanging forward. It was like something out of a nightmare, lurid and unreal. It was almost too surreal for me, as I felt my hands start to shake and my heart beating in my ears from shock. And then, she disappeared. She was gone in a blink of an eye. I glanced around the swarms of people around me, wondering if I had suddenly gone insane.

"Is something the matter?"

Asahina-san looked up to me and asked. She apparently noticed my quick change of expression.

"I-It's nothing."

I said, calming myself down. It was apparent that I really _was_ going insane. _That_, or things were more serious than I thought.

* * *

Asahina-san and I said goodbye to each other and went our separate ways. I would've tried to be more romantic towards her, but, it wasn't the best of circumstances, so, I settled with just being friendly. Really, my first real date with her, all ruined by that idiot kid. Well, I suppose I ought to fix all this before something terrible happens. 

I took out my cell phone and dialed Haruhi's number as I walked down the city streets. By now, the sun was setting, casting a heavy orange glow over me. The back of my neck was getting sweaty from being sun-drenched.

After waiting a full minute, I shut my phone in annoyance. She apparently shut off her phone. Damn it, I guess I have to do this in person. And God knows what she'll do with me when I crawl back to her on my knees.

I tilted my head up towards the cloudless sky and gazed at the darkening shades of pink and orange. Heh, thinking about it, there hasn't been a cloud in the sky all week. Too bad Tanaguchi, your moron future in meteorology is a bust.

It was then that something caught my eye. An object from the sky slowly descended to the ground, and landed with a clean _flap_ in the alley next to me. My head turned automatically towards the item. Before I knew it, I let my curiosity get the best of me, and I idly went over to the alleyway and picked up it up. _It _was just an old tattered notebook. It looked virtually useless, since the pages seemed to be filled with names, so, being a responsible citizen, I disposed of it in the garbage can next to me.

Damn hooligans, don't just throw your junk out into the street.

…the next few moments happened too fast for me to reconcile.

I turned around, but stopped as soon as I saw someone standing at the entrance of the alley. From the way the sun was positioned, her radiant beauty increased tenfold, and her shadow reached out into the ground, sending a mixed aura of anonymity and animosity. I didn't even have enough time to react before she took out a metallic object from the corduroy purse she held ever so tightly. It was smooth and rounded, unlike anything I've ever seen before, but it didn't take much time before I realized what it was. There was no doubt about it. It was a gun.

"I'm sorry."

Her voice was that of a fallen angel's. I stumbled backwards from what was happening. I could hardly believe any of this. What the hell was this?

"Kyon-kun, I'm really sorry."

She firmly held the pistol at me in pointblank range, but tears were streaming down the side of her face. I didn't know what to say or think. A part of me wanted to comfort her. Another part of me wanted to run. It was happening too fast for me to take hold of the situation, so I did what anyone else would've done. I stayed where I was like an idiot and did nothing.

Was this some sort of dream? …yes, that had to be it. She would never do _this_ in real life. This was just a very, very, bad-

I saw her frown. It was like looking down a barrel of a gun, and it went off.

* * *

AN: I've got to stop leaving these cliffhangers. Then again, I did, after all, label this as drama. Oh well. 

After reading this over, I find myself moderately satisfied about how this ended out. In the previous chapter, I accidentally locked Kyon's sister out of the house and forgot about her. I didn't even think about what would happen when the door was opened again. So, when I got to that part, I didn't know what to do. Then I thought _hell, why don't I have her punch my character's lights out._ And I pretty much went with that idea.

As for the end, I think I made it pretty obvious that this was going to happen. Or at least something close to this anyway. Well, I hoped you liked it.

_I. Run. E._


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Before you read this chapter, I'd like share my opinions of this new melancholy section, even if it's been awhile since it first came up.

It has been a long wait for everyone, and I can get how everyone can get excited. Just so you know, I am really thrilled about this too, but, when I started moving my fics, I was kind of reluctant. Though it may just be just me, I feel like it's going to be a "whole new ball game", since I'm moving from the very broad misc. section to a lesser known area, where the likelihood of someone accidentally stumbling onto their fic is cut down. In the misc. area, you have a so much larger spectrum of people, but here, you only get viewers who are looking for anything purely melancholy. And that's a little intimidating for a novice writer like me.

…before I bore you any longer, I guess I ought to stop and present my next chapter. Hopefully, you'll all like it.

* * *

No sound. A grey colorless world with distinct colorless shapes. Everything was frozen, and everything was there, last as I remembered it. However, I _didn't_ remember anything. I was lost and confused, oblivious in mind and body, but, it was here that my scattered brain was slowly pieced together… 

…

…w-wait, what was this?

A dream?

A nightmare?

…exactly, where am I?

How'd I get here?

What time is it?

Damn it…I really ought to know these things.

I mean…this stuff is suppose to be common knowledge, am I right?

Or…I guess it depends on circumstance, doesn't it?

…I must be lost. That explains it.

Wait, I think I see someone.

It's…it's a girl.

She's…

She's pretty…

She's really…pretty.

…I feel like I've seen her before.

She looks so very familiar…

…with her hair…

…with her skin…

…with her eyes…

…!

She's crying?

…did I do something to make her cry?

Did I _not_ do something to make her cry like that?

I really hope not.

I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if I did something like that, but…

If I did…then…

I'm sorry.

I'm really…

Really…

Sorry.

"Kyon-kun…"

Her lips are trembling.

"…I'm really sorry."

...the gun went off.

My state of delirium ended right there and it all came flooding back to me. I really have to give the gunshot credit for returning me to normal. If I hadn't heard that terrifying sound, I don't know how long I would've lasted in that mindset. Then again, I don't think I would've minded if I hadn't returned. To be completely lost in this situation, frankly, would make me feel a lot better.

My ears were ringing, though the blaring echoes had already stopped. I could feel nothing, but I already understood how grim the circumstances were already. Though, to say I understood why, that's a misconception.

I _hardly_ understood it. I upset Haruhi, and now this has to happen? Well, this wasn't fair! It's hardly fair at all. I risked my neck for this world and…this is how I get repaid. I mean, what about this karma junk I've been hearing about, where good things happen to good people? Shouldn't_ that_ apply to my life? I was a good person. I…_am_ a good person.

Oh, damn it…I want a do-over. I just need to reenact my last few hours…hell, my last few minutes even. I should've just left that god damn notebook alone. C'mon! I'm begging here! Is there someone out there willing to make a…bargain…

…

Denial…anger…and now, bargaining…I believe there are two stages left. But to hell with those stages, let's just go back to anger.

Damn it.

_Damn_…it

…_Damn it all_!

…I really feel like I should blame Haruhi for this. That sounds reasonable. Though Asahina-san's the one that shot me, it's all probably Haruhi's fault. With her powers of reality distortion, it could be nothing but. I mean, Haruhi is rash and vengeful while Asahina-san…she's sweet and kind. I couldn't possibly blame her, not ever, not even now. Why? Because…

I'm not making any sense. Maybe…it's because I'm still a little lost. Ah, well, it doesn't matter...

Not now…not anymore.

I felt my back hit the ground. My heart was racing and, with no where to go, I heard its loud rapid beats pulse throughout my body.

I looked up at the sky and waited. What I was waiting for, I wasn't sure, but I knew that the current backdrop would soon change. Maybe I would find myself in a field with blooming flowers, or maybe a hot cavern with ominous red backlighting. For my sake, I pray for the former.

Or maybe…I would reincarnate. If I _did_ reincarnate, I hope I'd turn into an animal with a simpler lifestyle, like say, an ordinary house cat. I wouldn't mind sleeping all day and having my food already prepared in a bowl for me. In fact, I think I would enjoy that very much.

I wonder, is it too late for me to take up a religion? It'd be such a shame if it was.

"…"

My range of vision blurred when the shadow of an angel loomed over me. Her arms slowly wrapped around me, and the feeling of nothingness I felt was quickly replaced with an unrelenting warmth.

My heartbeat…it was slowing. I guess…it was the end.

I let my eyes close. In a hopeless situation such as this, there's nothing to do but let go, peacefully…and with no regrets.

And then…

And then…I felt dizzy.

* * *

I instantly recognized this feeling as time travel, as I had previously time traveled several times on past excursions. And in most of those times, it had something to deal with Tanabata in some way or the other. However, going back to three years ago wasn't really a main concern for me. 

I hadn't exactly prepared myself for such a nauseating feeling, so I felt some sort of odd whiplash while staying completely still. And after that, it was like being haphazardly thrown in loops on the wrong foot. If it wasn't for the girl in front of me, I would've freely thrown up just to get rid of this sickness.

When the time had come to let everything settle, the weight of my body had uncomfortably shifted down towards my feet. As I had been formerly on my back, I was now standing straight up. My eyes opened mechanically and air gushed into my lungs. I started to take in slow heavy breaths, and my sense rationality returned to me.

Everything that happened, me standing in the alley, Asahina-san appearing and firing the gun at me, it all happened in under a minute, though, it felt like much longer. In fact, it felt like hours. I don't know how to explain it, but I'm sure it was longer, however, my mind seems to remember it a whole lot differently.

Damn it, what's the use of thinking of trivial things like that?

I clenched my fist and felt the sweat in my palms. I wasn't dead. I wasn't even hurt. The reason why I felt nothing was, well, because…I didn't get shot. What was this?

"Err…A-Asahina-san?"

I focused my attention to the girl who was clinging onto my shirt. Her wet tears seeped through my shirt, and she clung on to me harder as I mentioned her name aloud. Through her muffled sobs, I could feel my arms embrace her petite figure.

I didn't offer any words of comfort, like say that it wasn't her fault or say that everything was going to be alright. Truth be told, I was confused as hell as to what was happening, but this seemed to be the only thing I could do for her. So, I held her close to me…

The girl who tried to kill me…

…the girl who, for some reason, didn't kill me.

…should I be angry at her for trying to shoot me? Should I be thankful that she didn't? I don't know. I had no clue as to what was going on, but my instincts told me to hold on to her. Keep her warm. Keep her safe. Keep her from getting hurt. And so, I did exactly that…or, at least tried to.

…

After around a minute or so, Asahina-san sobs slowed to a stop. I felt a small tug, and she suddenly jostled away from me, taking a step back. She looked at her feet to avoid making any eye contact with me, but I could see that her charming face was red with tears.

"I-I'm…"

She stuttered. It sounded like she was ready to burst out crying again.

"…I'm sorry."

Asahina-san turned her back to me solemnly. A moment passed by between us without anyone saying a word. I didn't know what to say her, while Asahina-san…maybe she was too afraid to say anything else. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally spoke.

"…I have to go."

Sensing her despair, I wanted to reach out to her again, but by the time I made up my mind to do that, she took a step forward. I heard a metallic click, and then…her image was torn away from my eyes, like a ripping a picture out of an old flipbook. And suddenly, I found myself alone.

…I slunk down to my knees.

"…"

For awhile, I stared into the air that was supposed to be containing Asahina-san. I figured that she was probably went into a different time right now, but I still found it hard to believe that someone could disappear like that, without any sign of that person being there in the first place. It just seemed…impossible.

I put my hands over my head and turned my vision to the ground she was just standing upon, but before I could let my thoughts quarrel over whether I would ever see her again…I saw a metallic object in front of me.

It was the gun that Asahina-san had.

…

…I took it before I left the place.

* * *

At a closer look at my surroundings, I realized that I was at school. More specifically, I was on the staircase leading to the rooftop above the fourth floor. This was rather a nostalgic place for me, as it was the same place where Haruhi dragged me before bestowing me the responsibility of helping her make a certain club. Whether this was coincidence or not, I don't really care. 

Finding the date and time, it was a lot easier than I anticipated. Since I was at school, one glance at one of the wall clocks filled me in that it was around half an hour after school ended, and practically anyone could find the date by looking at a newspaper. From that, I found out that Asahina-san had not sent me years into the future, but only a few hours into the past.

I took off.

My feet pounded across the pavement leading down the hill. Where did I plan to go? Home. Why? Well, as a person lost in the past, it seemed like the most reasonable thing to do. I didn't have much of a plan, but I figured that I could talk to myself. Maybe I might be able to prevent this ever from happening.

As I ran down the hill, a long line of cars passed by in the opposite direction. I ran faster and saw my house in the distance. I ran further, and I was nearing the place. By the time that happened, I was already out of breath, leading me to question why I was so eager to talk with myself, when I knew that I'd be there for quite some time. A slower pace would've been fine, as long as the other _me_ stayed home.

I turned at the front gate and walked up the steps to my front door, but stopped when I heard a familiar voice. I really ought to have just ignored it.

"Whoa there Benjamin Briggs, just what do you think you're doing?"

That wry voice, filled with dry enthusiasm, I recognized it immediately as the boy from before. Oh…how I wished I would've remembered him earlier. I should've brought with me a baseball bat from the school, or something.

"It's not your concern."

I said, turning around. The boy seemed to be nonchalantly standing near the front gate.

"Really? I think it is. After all, I was sent here to do something to you, whether it was to warn you or…kill you."

He made a rather ironic smile, but frowned immediately.

"I suppose it's my job to stop you from…whatever you're going to do. A healthy guess would be that you are going to do something _really_ stupid, like say, contact yourself directly to try and prevent some cruel and horrible fate, which, I presume, has already happened to you."

He was spot on.

"Now, if I were to let you do this unbothered, several dangerous things may happen."

The boy went further into detail to my dismay.

"First off, there's a possibility that a paradox may occur and destroy the entire universe. Though it would be mostly your fault, I would be partially to blame too, and that's something I don't want hanging over my shoulders…well, not directly anyway."

He walked through the front gate steadily.

"And…even if, by some offbeat chance, the universe doesn't crumble, you'll still cause some sort of complicated time-thingy that'll involve two you(s) and a nonexistent alternate dimension, which will probably be a pain in the ass to fix."

"So," he said, wrapping up, "let's make this quick."

The boy stood with his legs apart and pointed at me like he was about to scream out, "Objection!" However, he wasn't wearing the blue suit, so he said something weirder instead.

"You villainous cur, I pledge that I will thwart your vile congregation. Now, come hither, for we shall duel underneath the truth of the pale moonlight."

"…huh?"

Damn it, I really don't want to deal with this right now.

"Dost thou quake in thy boots?" he asked, "Fortunately for you, I've left my sword at home. But fear not, for I have an even sharper tongue."

He took a short breath and then made a half-assed insult.

"Your momma so fat, when her beeper goes off, people think she's backing up."

Ouch! Burn! No wait, that was really lame.

"…I don't have time for this."

I turned around back to the door, but stopped when I heard a faint clicking noise.

"All right…if you're _that _bored," he said callously, "let's play a game then."

"…"

Without a doubt...I knew that there was a gun pointed at my back.

"Ever hear of Russian roulette?" he asked. His voice changed into a soft-spoken tone, almost a low growl.

He continued his explanation regardless of whether I've heard of it or not.

"It's rumored that, in the 19th century Soviet Union, the game evolved inside a prison, where guards forced detainees to play, and betted on the outcome. Another rumor is that it came from the Russian army, where suicidal officers proved their manliness in a very idiotic way. Now, I don't really like Russians, but…I have to say that it's a very interesting concept."

I heard the sound of few bullets drop to the ground.

"Now, usually in a game, you have a six-chambered revolver with a single round inside one of the chambers. The cylinder is spun and players take turns pulling the trigger until one of them dies. Obviously, the one who survives wins the game, meaning that this game is supposed to be purely based on chance…if you ignore gravity, the spinning velocity, and whatnot."

"Unfortunately, what I hold in my hands is a Smith & Wesson Model 500, the most powerful production revolver in the world as of this current time and day. This gun…can only hold five rounds, so bear with me, would you."

Without any warning, there was a mechanical whirling, sending my heartbeat into overdrive. I turned around to see the boy put the gun to his head.

"You never answered my question Johnny-boy. Do you believe in fate?"

His eyes were cold and his hands were stiff. It was like looking at a toy soldier, knowing that a wound up spring inside would make him jump at any moment.

…he pulled the trigger.

_Click!_

The revolver made a hollow sound. The chamber was empty. Though I didn't really like the boy in particular, it was a relief to know that he didn't blow his brains out in front of me.

"Huh…"

The boy limply removed the gun from his head and stared at it with vague interest. For someone who just cheated death, he didn't look too happy.

"Okay," he said bluntly, "your turn."

The pistol was suddenly pointed at me, and, reflexively, I threw myself backwards and raised my arm to cover my face, like I could dodge a bullet from pointblank range. Unflinchingly, the boy shot me.

_Click!_

My body landed onto the ground with a thud. Though I didn't have any time to think, my back landed onto one of the front steps, so I was able to look up at the boy.

"Your eyes are bugging out. Is there something wrong?"

The boy asked tauntingly, aiming the revolver at the side of his head.

"Hey, stop! That's…that's dangerous, you know!"

"_You think?_"

He retorted. The boy pressed the barrel against his head and paused for a moment. He shut his eyes, and slowly squeezed the trigger on himself. The sight was too surreal to watch, so I turned my head at last moment.

…_Click!_

The boy's eyes opened. He looked up at me with a sick smile and the revolver was once again turned over to me in this twisted game of luck. Frantically, I looked at the ground where he stood. There were two, three, four…just four rounds on the ground.

If this was a bluff, he really knew how to freak me out.

I looked up at the boy and into the barrel of the gun. My hands twitched towards the object in my pocket, but I already knew there wasn't any time for me to bring _that_ out. I probably had less than a second before he shot, and obviously, he wouldn't wait for me to search my pockets. So, I shut my eyes…and hoped for a miracle.

_They're called miracles because they don't happen._

…that's a…very pessimistic thought there. Well, I guess I just have to leave it to luck then. If this gun really is a five-shooter, I've got a one to two chance, right? Since he shot three times, that means I've got a fifty percent chance of living. Those odds aren't so bad.

…aw, damn it, I'm a goner.

A breeze passed by above me, shaking the tree branches above me.

…_Click!_

"…"

"You lucky bastard…"

When I opened my eyes, I saw the boy flash a wide grin, as if it was something he should be happy about. He stuck his nose up in the air and shrugged.

"Ah, well…I guess I lose."

He said jadedly, putting the lethal weapon to his side. I felt a pang of relief when he did that, though, it didn't change the situation one bit. There was still a retarded child holding a gun in front of me. Things can't get any more surreal than this. Unless he…no…

…I saw the boy raised the gun up to his head once more.

"W-What are you-?"

I stuttered aloud in alarm, but I was cut short. He stuck his tongue out at me and smiled.

"...bang."

Instantly, I rolled myself over facedown and covered my ears with my hands. It might have been understandable if a bomb had gone off in front of me, but in this circumstance, it was just plain ridiculous.

"…"

I maintained that position, that is, until I heard him insult me.

"…get up, dingus. I'm not that stupid to shoot myself."

…it was a bluff. Looking back, he seemed a little too calm holding that gun to his head. There probably weren't any bullets in the gun in the first place.

Dear God, please help me resist the urge to wring this boy's neck loose. I don't think I can hold off much longer. Wait, actually…religion doesn't work like that. I ought to just take him out right now and ask for forgiveness later.

I jumped to my feet.

"Damn it! You think this some kind of joke?"

I yelled.

"Why? Do you find it funny?" he answered scathingly, "Personally, I don't get what the punch line is."

I twisted my face with frustration, but in the end, I let out a sigh. There was no use reasoning with the likes of him, and he was just wasting my time here.

"…you're insane."

I stated.

"I prefer the term _gifted_, but seems like you've got the gist of it more or less."

He said indifferently. The boy reached his hand into his pocket and randomly took out an apple, out of all things.

"I took this out of your fridge while you weren't looking. I hope you don't mind."

I do.

The boy stopped and gave a glare.

"Well, I guess my hopes are _crushed_ then."

He said, shining the fruit's palpable flesh with his shirt. The boy began to talk casually to me for some reason.

"I've never had a childhood."

He said aloud. He backed up and leaned against the front gate.

"For as long as I can remember, I've been doing weird and pointless missions all my life. If I had parents…I've forgotten what they look like or what kind of people they were. And…if I had any brothers or sisters, I probably wouldn't recognize them from half the crackpots I deal with on a daily basis."

The boy gave a glassy glare towards the ground.

"See, this is where time travel screwed me over. Whereas other kids were happy with their families…I was alone doing some odd job for a bureau I don't even know anything about. I mean, what kind of ten-year old child goes around carrying tomorrow's newspaper, a revolver, and four syringes in his pockets?"

Those must be pretty big pockets he's got there.

"It's just not normal. Which is why…" he said, "I need you to do something for me."

The temperature seemed to drop a few degrees, as he lifted his head.

"I need you…to pull the trigger that'll set off the end of the world."

He clarified his intentions even further.

"I need you…to kill Suzumiya Haruhi."

"…"

"…"

"…what?"

"Sorry, I shouldn't have been so dramatic," he apologized, "I only just need a reaction from her."

He shook his head and resumed the explanation of the errand in detail.

"An interaction from Suzumiya Haruhi is probably one of the few loopholes that'll let me out of this hellhole. According to esper philosophy, some weird space will engulf the world and destroy it, and then afterwards, everything will be recreated according to her. If she recreates this new world right, there won't be any time travel in it."

He raised the gun up to me again, making me step back.

"And bam, I'm normal."

If he wasn't holding that, I'd probably sympathize with him somewhat.

"So, what do you say? Apple?"

He extended the bright red fruit he shined earlier out to me.

The apple, I recall, was poisonous in the story of Snow White. Also, it represented the forbidden fruit in the Bible. And if I remember the story correctly, once man took a bite, he was cursed with eternal damnation and kicked out of Eden. Surely, he knew this, or….maybe he was offering as another joke.

"…no thanks."

"Suit yourself."

He said apathetically. The boy tried taking a bite, but stopped when he breached the skin. He sighed and unclamped his teeth.

"I think I need a knife to eat this."

I returned him to the subject at hand.

"You seem rather eager to send me off. What you want me to do…it's a paradox isn't it? I thought you said you were against the possibility of destroying the world."

"That's not entirely true," he said, "If the circumstances were different, and it was up to me, I'd think it'd be a risk worth taking. I mean, for a chance to be normal…it'd be nice."

I think I might've heard something similar in the past.

"Of course…" the boy continued, "this will only work if the esper view is correct. If I'm wrong, and the time traveler view is, in fact, right, then…well, it would explain the outcome of that Russian roulette duel we had. Since you survived-"

W-wait…there's actually a bullet in there?! Do you mean that…that you could've actually killed me?!

"I could've, but I didn't, otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation."

You're missing the point here.

"Yeah, whatever. Anyway…"

He scratched the barrel of the gun dangerously at the side of his head.

"It could be that you're fated to die trying to reach Suzumiya. And that…would be a real bummer."

The boy put down his gun in a less suicidal position and continued sincerely.

"Now, I know you don't like me. And just so you know, I don't like you either. But…in a strange twist of irony, you were chosen by Suzumiya. And because of that, you are the only one who can do this for me."

"Pity, isn't it?"

He sighed and tilted his head forward.

"It's your choice," he said, "you can refuse and keep the world the same, or…you can try to press that big _possibly nonexistent_ restart button. I vote for the latter, because, well…I say _possibly nonexistent_ is about as good as half a chance, but that's just me."

The boy shrugged carelessly and shut his eyes.

"So, do you want to?"

"…"

I kept silent and thought about everything he said.

For the most part, it seemed like he was being honest, despite his rude and inane disposition. Did that make me trust him? No. If anything, it made me more suspicious than ever, but in terms of options, I was limited.

My original goal was to meet myself and stop me from going out, but now that I think about it, what would happen after that? Would the world end right there? Or would the time line split off into another junction, just as the boy said? Well, looking at both outcomes, it doesn't seem like anything good can come from that, so, I guess I shouldn't. However, I wasn't about to stand idle with Asahina-san gone missing.

"Asahina-san…do you know what happened to her?"

The boy stared at me with a blank expression.

"…I'm sorry, who?"

"You know, Asahina-san," I repeated, "Asahina Mikuru."

He scratched his head.

"Not…ringing any bells."

Seriously, I can't tell whether he's being an ass or if he really doesn't know.

"She's the time traveler."

"Oh, right! Her!" he said, pounding his fist into his hand, "I don't know her."

I'm wasting my breath here.

"Useless…"

"Hey, just because I don't know her, it doesn't mean I can't guess."

He said, crossing his arms over his head. The boy leaned back and shut his eyes, like he was going to sleep. From that position, he made several keen observations.

"For instance, the fact that you're here means that she didn't kill you," he stated, "meaning that she's either weak enough for you to immobilize her and take her TPDD…or that this girl is _really_ nice and decided to take you to the past on her own free will. Since you seem to be worried about her, I'm guessing it's the second one."

He guessed right.

"I can also deduce that this girl isn't too bright either," he said, "since, instead of taking you years into the future where you would probably be safer, she made a faulty rescue attempt and took you here, where the prospect of you dying still remains."

"It's possible that she didn't want to kill you, but wanted someone else to do it in her stead. But, if that's what she really wanted, there would be no need to take you back. She would've instead yelled out 'run' or 'get away' or something on the lines of 'hide'. But since you're here, that's obviously not the case."

"From my reasoning, I can guess this is what happened."

The boy spoke as if he were there as it happened.

"Sometime before, during, or after your _date_, that girl somehow got you into a secluded place, like a junkyard or an alley. After that, she pulled a gun on you, as her superiors ordered. However, she stopped when she realized what she was doing, and panicked. In a rash attempt to protect you, she took you into the past and, shortly afterwards, fled."

His guesses were so close to the truth, it was almost scary.

"Now, to answer your question," he said, "What happened to her?"

The boy gave a sleepy glance towards me and closed them again.

"Here's my guess," he said softly, "She'll be able to run for awhile with her TPDD. However, sooner or later, she'll be caught, since there's no hiding from time travelers."

He paused for a second and sighed, making it sound like time travelers were prisoners of their own device.

"She'll be put on trial for going against her superiors, illegal use of the TPDD, and some _quote unquote_ light treason. Though it's not unheard of to use the death penalty, she'll probably get some time in jail at the most, since…after all, she's a girl."

"…"

I stared at him for a few moments. Did my expression show shock? Disbelief maybe? With the boy's eyes shut, there's probably no one that can tell me how stupid I looked.

"Before you get any ideas, let me just say that my TPDD doesn't work, so I can't send you on a _gallant_ rescue mission. But, if you want proof, I could lend you it right now."

That's…not necessary.

"…you know, I'm being a trooper and answering your question to the fullest, while you still haven't answered mine."

"…"

Right, that errand you're so eager to wave around in my face.

I let out a sigh and contemplated on what I should do. After a few seconds, I asked him another question.

"Is there anything I can do to help her?"

The boy didn't make any gesture to signal that he heard me, so I was about to repeat myself. However, he gave a response before I could even do that.

"Nope. There's nothing at all," he said, "So give up."

"…"

I found that my eyes were staring at the floor dismally.

"…fine," I said reluctantly, "I'll do it. But…just so you know, I'm not doing this for you."

I thought of Asahina-san when I said that. I wanted her to have a happy ending, one like the princess in a fairy tale, but…it seems like there wasn't one for her here. To save her, it seems like I'll had to restart everything from the beginning. Maybe if I did this, she won't cry much as she does now. If I did this, maybe I could save her the pain she probably feels now. And maybe…she'll get that ending.

The boy stepped forward and allowed me to pass the gate when I neared him. He put his hands into pockets casually.

"Fine with me."

As I walked past the boy, I saw a smile form from the corner of my eye. And then… suddenly, I felt a sharp pinch through the back of my shirt. It was like someone stabbed me with a needle. I quickly turned myself around and saw the boy holding something in his hands.

"Syringe."

He said aloud. The smile on his face grew wider.

"You should be feeling its effects in a few moments."

"…you…"

I felt myself getting angrier. My fist clenched on its own, nails digging into my palm. My eyes narrowed at the boy and, in a fit of rage, I threw my arm towards him.

"You bastard!"

I yelled out.

The boy sidestepped me, only just missing me by a whisker. I tried to grab him with my other hand, but a sudden weight pulled me forward into the ground. My body dropped down onto all fours and I could hardly lift my head up higher than two inches from the floor.

"Wow, that's what I call fast acting."

His voice was as annoying as ever.

My eyes looked over the boy's feet. Though it had only been a few seconds, my muscles felt like they added fifty pounds. Even my eyelids felt heavy enough to be ripped out of my face. He must've injected me with some kind of drug. Damn it! Did he plan to do this all along?

My arms and knees started trembling, and it seemed like I was becoming weaker every second. When I finally did crash flat in front of my front gate, the boy squatted down to me.

"_No hard feelings………….. can't risk…………….. yourself……………………… do this…... understand._"

My body, it wouldn't even move anymore. My vision blurred into a sloppy mess and I was slowly losing consciousness.

"……………_deal…………………………………………Suzumiya Haruhi……………make love………………._"

"_...shocking………………………toaster…………………while she's…………….do it._"

His words weren't making it to my ears any more. Slowly, so slowly, everything began growing dark, and finally, I was out.

* * *

AN: This has to be the longest chapter yet, though, compared with the others chapters, I'd have to say that I liked this one the least. There were so many things I wanted to cram in here, and there were so many directions I could've gone, however, I felt I had to cut some parts out and change some others, otherwise this chapter would've been just insanely long. 

For instance, the Russian roulette scene originally had Asahina incorporated in it, but I decided to drop it. And then there was the back-story I made for the boy to make myself feel better about him. I cut that part out too. There's also a whole alternate chapter with Kyon spouting out a bunch of one-liners while massive explosions happen in the background. But…I deleted it as soon as I finished it.

And even with cutting those parts out, it's still pretty long with all the things I've crammed inside it, which means that the next few chapters until the end will be notably shorter, unless I find some filler material to take up space.

With that aside, in my personal opinion, I think this is an okay chapter, though…some parts could've been handled better, like the beginning. There, I wanted to redo the whole shooting, since it the last chapter, I felt that it was a little too abrupt. So, I tried out some split second thinking with Kyon. It kind of worked. It kind of didn't. There are some other spots too, mainly dealing with pacing, but I want to address another subject now.

It seems like some of my references haven't gone unnoticed. I do them from time to time just for fun, but, it seems like some people think I'm going for a deathnote crossover. Though that idea sounds like pure awesome, I'm probably not going to do that. If anyone else wants to do it, I'll probably read it. Anyway, that's it for now.

So long, _I.__ Run. E. _

Oh, and…Haruhi is greater than Kira, but L pwns Haruhi. Sugary deductive skills for the win!


	6. Chapter 6

AN:It's been way... too long since I've last updated. So long, I wonder if the people who read my fic in the past still come to this site. Or worse, if they do, but they just don't remember me.

...

I shouldn't think about it too much.

I'm not one to make excuses, since I'm really bad at coming up with them, so I'll just say that I'm sorry for making everyone wait, if there's anyone still waiting. For newcomers, I hope you guys will like this fanfic, and for seniors, hopefully you guys will like this installment too.

Until next year,

I. Run. E.

Also, as for the cliffhanger, it should be obvious who it is, but I want to see if I could spin this my own way.

* * *

"You took too long."

…

I blinked.

And then stared.

It took some time for me to realize that words were coming from her mouth. And it took even longer for me to respond.

"Oh, ah, sorry…"

I quickly stuttered an apology before she could say anymore. Shaking my head from side to side, I attempted to cast off my unfocused state of mind.

It didn't seem to work too well.

From biting my bottom lip to pinching my cheeks, I honestly _did_ try concentrating on the situation at hand, but, I just couldn't help myself from being sidetracked. I don't know. It was the little things that kept bothering me. Like, for instance, I was noticing that there was something wrong about the clubroom. For some reason, it seemed eerily bright. It was almost fuzzy, like how fog was in the late afternoon. It wasn't really that important, but it was something that consistently took away most of my attention.

…and with this, I consequently seemed to be irritating my "enemy".

And woe is me for having such a decadent adversary in this never-ending game of hell.

"Honestly, Kyon, you've got to stop spacing out."

With an expression of discontent, my opponent crossed her legs and waved a finger in my direction.

"In this day and age, we have to make use of every second we have. About one fourth of our lives are already wasted on school. And we're wasting even more if we just hang out around here and do nothing. If we want to surpass the geniuses of yesterday, we have to start acting now."

If she were so worried about time, couldn't we just stop playing this game then? According to her, weren't there better things to do?

"I mean, imagine if Galileo… or Socrates had lived a few more years. There's no telling what kinds of crazy things they would've concocted."

Well, Galileo spent his final days imprisoned in his home, and Socrates was forced to commit suicide via poisoning. I'd imagine they both wouldn't do much. More time for them would be torture, not to mention that they'd probably end out old and senile.

"You see, only those who do not wish for greatness waste time."

"…"

I stopped and stared some more. And in a deadpanned voice, I answered,

"Oh, I'm sorry, were you talking?"

Her scowl became more prominent, and I half-expected a kick from underneath the table. However, she ignored my sarcasm and opted to look at the board… and where I _strategically_ moved my last piece.

Glancing at the table, you'd see a cheap, flimsy plastic mat with bold printed lines. Uneven creases were sporadically etched into its flesh from its last use, and it seemed almost impossible to tell how it was originally folded. The game pieces didn't fair too well either. The thirty-two cylindrical pieces of wood were worn out with almost illegible painted characters on them. From the quality of the materials, it was obvious that this _set_ wasn't the most expensive around, but it was substantial. And it was nice in that way.

It was simple. I admired that.

Now, if only those red pieces weren't dominating my side of the playing field…

…!

Hey, maybe _that's _why I wasn't paying attention. This game was hopeless; therefore, I don't care as much.

I glanced at my opponent, who now seemed to be in deep thought. She leaned forward, letting her fingers brush against her lips. Her gaze swayed to and fro as she scanned the board. She looked like a Cheshire-cat, thinking about the vast amount of ways of how to maim its prey.

Eating her own words, she bit into her own time and collectively wore out my patience. I had to speak up.

"You're taking too-"

"Hold on."

She held out her hand and stopped me in my tracks.

"I just want to make this perfect."

…oh, then by all means, take your time.

"Shut up."

She gave me a growl and I gave her a crooked smile. Between her and me, there was a short face-off, but it inevitably ended with me giving up and settling back in my chair.

…

I listened to the small _tap, tap, tapping_ of my opponent's foot while I was waiting.

Other than that noise and the faint _creek_ of thin wood, it was mostly silent.

Outside, the sun was beating down relentlessly over the school. And this room, being without AC, was like a sauna in a boiling room.

Needless to say, my clothes were already getting sticky with dust and sweat.

…

And…

For some reason…

It was a little hard to breathe in the air…

…

"Aha!"

I popped my head up at that sudden noise.

Triumphantly, the tyrant's hand suddenly crashed down on a weapon most worthy of herself, a cannon with a short fuse. She brought it high towards the heavens, and in a grandiose endeavor, she slammed it down on the table with terrific power, cascading the room with a loud, deafening, thunderous echo. Her eyes had a ruthless zeal to them; they were hollow but grimly determined. Her resolution was set in stone, and I was to fall at her feet.

"You're finished."

She said, just as crudely.

…yeah, whatever.

It was my turn again. And…

I tried caring less. And you know what? I couldn't.

I mean, at this point there wasn't much I could do anyway. My options amounted to two things: _quick and painless_ or _slow and excruciating_. Giving up's not an option because, well… if I did, she'd sever both my arms and _still_ force me to play somehow.

…?

Come to think of it, _why_ was I playing this game? I don't particularly remember the parts that led me up to this point.

…

…keh, like that mattered.

I said a silent prayer to myself before letting my hand aimlessly drift around the board. It lowered itself and picked up a piece at random. I believe it was an elephant, but with the bad calligraphy and all, it was hard differentiating one token from another.

"Mmmh…"

"…?"

The pitch of my enemy's voice became noticeably higher by several notches. Looking up, I saw that my opponent had suddenly switch places with a different person.

Of course, this didn't faze me much.

"C-Could you please not move that? It's…umm… I-"

Suddenly becoming self-aware of her actions, she quickly scrambled to cover for herself.

"No. Never mind. Forget what I said. You can… move there if you want."

She withdrew her dejected expression and tried her best to smile at me.

In fair weather, she would look like a dry Amaryllis with her flushed porcelain skin. As of that moment, she looked godly. Her long hair fell down over her shoulders like an autumn waterfall. Her strawberry lips were tightly pursed into a waxing crescent moon. And her eyes, they were darkly translucent, like ale held to the light. All this, I couldn't help but notice when she leaned forward and squeezed her arms together.

"Kyon-kun~"

…

…this isn't good. She's tempting me. Like every other male, I was susceptible to dangerous feelings and thoughts of the _dark_ side.

…errgh!

Stop this… please… or else I might not be able to hold myself back…!

Her tiny hands tugged at her apron, and she fluttered her eyelashes sweetly.

"If it's you, I don't mind, Kyon-kun~"

Arrrgh!

"Oh, uh… no, you got the wrong idea! I wasn't really planning on moving this piece at all. I was just… resting my hand here."

It was a pitiful excuse made for a pitiful reason. But, well, who cares?

I searched for another token to move, preferably one that wouldn't frustrate my… benevolent… adversary. And so, after much plight and aimless thought, my fingers finally settled onto something that looked like a rook.

"Is this okay?"

"…"

I raised my head, expecting to be met with a cheerful nod and a cute sigh of relief. Instead, I found that another change took place while I wasn't looking.

"…………"

Her eyes made no reaction from my inquiry, but nonetheless, she continued staring intently, drilling holes into the back of my head.

"…………"

Slowly, I picked it up and searched for any small facial movements, any trace of something that might resemble a hint of some kind.

"…………"

She blinked… and that was all I needed from her.

"…okay."

I put it down and sought out for another piece.

…

In the end, I decided to move my rightmost pawn forward. It was a move that offered no strategic advantage whatsoever, but I let my fingers go, and I couldn't take it back.

My eyes didn't dare to move from the board, though a part of me somehow knew that my opponent had reverted back to her former self. I could already imagine her unsatisfied expression.

There was no helping it…

She placed a finger on a free horse and slid it two lines forward, one line across. It was something I could see a mile away, but something I couldn't stop.

The girl across from me opened her mouth.

"You lose."

"…"

I stayed silent, and after several seconds, I heard a sigh.

"You gave up."

"I didn't give up."

I replied almost instantly.

"Yes you did."

"…"

And then, I found that I couldn't bring myself to deny her any further than that.

"…fine, I gave up. Why should that matter? I mean, you would've won sooner or later."

"Don't say that," she scoffed, "If you tried, it might've ended out differently."

"Yeah… trying, I did that once. I didn't like it."

I kept my voice low and leaned against my arm.

"But if you want to win-"

"I'm not motivated to," I argued, almost angrily.

"I don't… like fighting losing battles, so I don't engage in them. And fighting with you has the same ring as… Julius Caesar in the third act. Or maybe the Blueray overrunning HD-DVD's. The second example probably hits closer to home."

"…you say that like I'm a god."

"Close," I said, giving her kudos, "You see, unlike you, I'm… I'm average, so there's no surprise in me losing to you."

I was somewhat surprised at how melancholic I sounded when that came out of my mouth.

"That still shouldn't stop you from-"

"Mediocre people do exceptional things all the time. Is there a problem with that logic?"

She winced. It was like she understood my point to a reasonable degree but still disagreed.

"…yeah. Yeah, I get it."

She said dryly.

"…but what you did back there wasn't exceptional at all."

…

…there was… a change. Somehow…I felt a gradual transformation in my surroundings. Maybe the clubroom was getting darker. Or the sun might've lowered itself, bathing the walls of the room in a crimson-blood orange. Either way, our shadows had elongated into strange creatures. And the dark air had become stiff to my lungs.

"…what do you mean?" I asked.

"What you did… you just gave up. No fight, no struggle, no… nothing."

I glanced up at her and saw my reflection in her wide desolate eyes. As she continued, her words became cold, and I noticed my breaths were coming up too short.

"Exactly, what is wrong with you? Are you just too lazy to put any effort in anything, or did you really hate all this from the very beginning? If it's the former, you're a worthless self-loathing loser.

If it's the latter… you're nothing but a coward."

Coward?

I'd once considered myself to be a hypocrite and, to an extent, a heretic… but a coward?

…

Yeah, maybe.

"I don't understand… what type of person would do that? Why did you stick around in the first place if you didn't like it? No one had _forced_ you stay."

"I… I didn't hate it."

"Why did you leave then?"

"I didn't-"

I couldn't finish it. My breathing was becoming too uneven.

"No fight… no struggle… nothing…"

She repeated it dismally. I could feel myself grow hot at her words, and I could see that my hands were balling up unconsciously.

"_I expected more out of you._"

I had to clamp my teeth in order to contain myself. My head was feeling too light, and I almost seemed to be choking for air now.

"_That's why I chose you._"

I slammed my fist on the table.

"_Shut up!_"

My throat burned.

"_What else was I supposed to do? I didn't even belong in this damn club to begin with!_"

I looked wildly around the room. Having been out of it, it finally dawned on me how impossible this situation was. Everything here was becoming blurry and malformed. This wasn't real. This couldn't possibly be real.

"Stand up."

I heard those clear words inside my head, and I turned to face that girl.

I didn't have any time to react as her hand reached across the table grabbed my tie. With her brute strength, I was suddenly lifted upward in an impossible position and-

THUD!

My forehead split on something hard. My skull automatically fell back and smacked against another hard surface, presumably the one I had been sleeping on up until now.

"…eh, wha-? Huh? Nngh!"

The unintelligible sounds upon waking up did not even scratch the surface of how disorientated I felt. The second I _truly_ opened my eyes, I noticed that the scenery had changed drastically. There was no light anywhere. The clubroom had turned into a pitch-black abyss of death, and the only way I could tell if my eyes were open or not was from the dryness I felt from when I blinked. This led me to my first instinct: panic.

"Engghh!"

My arms and legs flung themselves around in an almost swimming-like motion, but my movement was hindered by the hardwood of the cramped confined space I was in.

…and it was then that I realized that I was, in fact, inside a cramped confined space, which freaked me out even more than I was already.

"God…"

I heard myself mutter something, but I quickly ignored it. My fingers hastily plastered themselves onto the wall above my face and my muscles contorted into an awkward pushing motion. There was this sound, something like sand sifting through an hourglass, and I felt the top surface nudge forward a little. Adrenaline instinctively kicked in at this, and I lifted the top covering of my prison a few more inches…

And… it all came crashing down on me.

As I crawled out from the ground, the cold blistering air outside shot through my system while dust and dirt swept into my lungs. It was a horrible feeling and one I don't want to elaborate on. With half my body above ground and the other half stuck in a pile of soft soil, I couldn't help but leave my mouth open.

…

Really, just what the hell _was_ this?

* * *

As I lied out there on the ground, I looked back and saw the hole I climbed out of. And upon closer inspection, I saw that it… was actually a shallow grave. Apparently, I had been buried alive… inside a coffin… I even had a tombstone…

Ah…

…

…exactly how long had I been under? An hour? Maybe two? My sense of time seemed to be warped beyond belief; however, I did see that the sky was dark. It must've been, at least, close to midnight.

I tried to stand up, but, I found it… really awkward. For some reason, I didn't feel like myself. Maybe, you could say, that the blood pumping through my veins felt like it had been replaced with molten lead, leaving my movements to feel disproportional and uncomfortable. I couldn't really say what this feeling was, but it was probably a repercussion from that drug that was stabbed into me. And that reminds me. I should probably find and kill that boy later.

Yeah, I should do that soon…

…

Well, with that said, I somehow balanced myself on two feet.

…and I immediately took notice of my clothes. I wasn't sure why but, I seemed to be in my school uniform. I specifically remembered changing my clothes right after I came home from school, so this was a little… unnerving. Instinctively, I delved into my pockets and did an inventory check:

Wallet.

Cell phone.

Gun.

…

…it took a moment for me to grasp what this meant.

Really… this… this wasn't right…

As far as reasoning goes… one could guess that my clothes had been swapped and everything that was in my previous outfit had been transferred over to this one…

But… why the hell did he do that?! Especially since I had a _gun_ with me. What sense does that make?

…as long as I still had all of my stuff, should have I even _cared_?

Maybe a little, but either way… there wasn't much to think about or do. I should have just been thankful that that kid hadn't mugged me, or… that's what I wanted to think, but…

This was just… suspicious…

…

There was really _nothing_ I could do about this, so I unwillingly had to force myself to ignore this peculiarity.

Taking that aside, I took out my cell phone and dialed the first number to come into my head. It rang, a few too many times, before I heard the phone pick up.

"…………"

I imagined her stoic face and petite figure as I began talking.

"Hey. Nagato. It's me."

"…………"

"Some strange things have been happening…"

Yeah, _strange_ doesn't really cover it.

"And…"

Some straight answers, that's all I wanted. And if there was anyone who could give me those, I knew it would have probably been her. She was the only person I could really rely on, and… she was my last lifeline.

"I think we should talk."

"…………"

I waited for an answer. I wanted to hear something, anything to at least acknowledge that she _was_ there.

"…………"

A cold wind suddenly blew by, making me involuntarily shiver.

"I see."

The sound of frozen breath was suddenly cut off as the line abruptly faded. I turned to look at my cell phone and saw a soft light die down.

…

Well…

…

Heh. This… this was funny…

No, really, it was. This was such a clichéd thing to happen, you know? And, I mean, it's hilarious. What else was there? Could it be that, later on, I'll get amnesia and will have to go on a journey to find my lost memory? Or maybe a girl will transfer to my class and claim that I'm her fiancé. Because… I think… someone out there must really hate me or something, because this is just…

"…_ck_"

…!

I covered my mouth with both of my hands. I had to stop myself from looking completely mad. No doubt… this was from that drug. It was messing with my head.

Yeah… that was it.

…

I was tired. In these past few hours, I had been shot at, a girl I cared about had been torn away from me, a boy injected me with some mystery serum, and I just climbed out of my own grave. This… this was just too much to take in for one day.

I looked around vainly, and in the distance I saw a flickering dim streetlamp hovering over a bench. And next to that was a bus schedule.

…

"That's it."

My voice came out slow and hoarse as I spoke to myself.

"I give up… I'm going home…"

* * *

I had been sleeping, if only for a brief while, before the bus arrived…

My eyes opened at the rupturing sound of an engine. The distinct smell of gasoline invaded my senses as I lifted my head. Glass doors opened before me with a squeal, and I stood up from the bench to get on. Dropping my feet onto the metallic stair steps up to the deck, I walked over to a seat near the back. It must've been a lonely sight, a guy in the middle of the night, covered in dirt, going home on an empty bus. Yeah…

I glanced out the window and watched the landscape slowly start to drift back behind me. There was a hypnotic feel to it. The vibrating seats, the increasing speed of seeing tombstones go by, it made me want to go back to sleep. Though, I had to fight off this feeling, because, well, I didn't want to be the idiot who missed his stop. It was troublesome. It really was…

I stretched my arms and let out a breath. Really, I should just relax for the time being. Uneventful moments like these were really hard to come by these days, and… waiting for a stop was a placid job for me. I really should just enjoy these few minutes of peace and calm while I still had them…

Rest could come later. I could rest all I wanted when I reached home. And after that… I had my whole life in front of me to do whatever I wanted…

Hopefully no one would mind if I skipped school tomorrow…

I lied back…

…!

…and immediately sat back up when I felt something out of place. Automatically, I reached my arm over my head and pulled out a letterhead from behind my shirt.

…?

"…what is this?"

There seemed to be a piece of paper loosely taped to the back of my shirt; however, looking at its front and backside, ink seemed to be smudged from dry sweat, making it almost impossible to read. The only words I could make out were "congratulations", "side-effects", and "shoes".

…

Just, exactly what was I supposed to do with this? Isn't this just trash?!

I crumpled the piece of junk into a ball and hastily stuffed it into my pocket. I would have to recycle this later…

…

…?

Maybe… maybe it was from after trying to decipher that letter, but… I became more attentive. I started to notice how even more odd my situation was.

Specifically… how isolated I was.

I know it was reasonable, considering that it was in the middle of the night, and I had been shadily picked up beside a graveyard, but there was _no one_. If you could look towards the road ahead and look back, you would notice that there were no other cars anywhere, let alone _any_ signs of light. Just what time was it anyway?

Another strange thing was this: the bus seemed to be steadily getting faster. I'm not too sure about the mechanics of an automobile, but I'm pretty sure that the constant revving of an engine signaled that we were speeding up. And by the look of how everything seemed to be coming at us, we were going pretty fast too…

"Hey, uh, bus driver… man."

I called out to him, but he didn't answer. Maybe he didn't hear me.

I stood up and started walking down the aisle, letting the metallic echoes of my footsteps dissipate into the roaring reverberations around me.

"Hey, uh…"

Reaching the front, I put my hand on the back cushion of his seat and pulled my head to the front to address him face to face.

…

"…"

…

Screaming wasn't my thing, so I sort of just stood there, frozen, with my mouth open.

"…_ahh…_"

…and a soft groan somehow eluded my lips.

My sudden paralysis ended as my feet began to feel unsteady. Whipping my head to the front, I glanced forward to the oncoming dark streets I was dangerously rushing towards. The world started spinning around me, and I found myself dropping into the empty driver's seat to recuperate. I could practically _feel_ the blood drain from my face.

I was an idiot. I was _so_ much of an idiot, I couldn't even desc-

No, this wasn't the time-

I couldn't…!

I can't…!

I can't! I can't…!

I-I…!

My head turned towards the steering wheel, and my eyes quickly surveyed all the dials and levers. Did I mention that I didn't have much experience with driving? I mean, it's not like I never wanted to drive before but-

Oh god…!

Mmmn…

Mechanically… my fingers strapped themselves around… the steering wheel. Yes, the steering wheel, so now… I-I can now steer if I wanted to. And, um… my foot… was over the brake… or gas… or…

"…!"

Doing something I probably shouldn't have done, I stomped on one of the two pedals located at my feet, but even so, it had no affect on the bus. I pressed on the pedal again and again, expecting something to change, but in my critical time of crisis, nothing seemed to be going the way I wanted it.

"Well if this one doesn't work, I guess the other- NO!"

The more "logical" side of my brain kicked in as I started to notice the familiar settings around me. The nostalgic locales flashed and vanished across my eyes way too fast for me to take in at first.

"One's gas, one's brake! If this one doesn't work, it's probably the break, because, well, brake lines can be cut! I've never heard of a case where gas lines were cut! So… this has to be the break! If you step on the other one, you'll speed up even more!"

For some reason, I couldn't help but to agree with myself on that one, but even so, what the hell was I supposed to do?! Where'd the driver go?! There _was_ a driver when I got on this bus, wasn't there?!

…!

It suddenly occurred to me where I was at the moment. According to recognizable landmarks, I should be headed towards…!

No, _speeding_ towards…!

…that _damned_ steep hill I scaled everyday.

Now, if this bus was going to _climb _it, I'd be screaming with joy, but who here's going to guess that I had _that_ kind of luck….

Aha ha ha…

"…damn it!"

I was rushing too fast, and it would be even more dangerous if I just continued on this path. I had to do something…

Something…

…!

My heart raced, my mind scattered, and everything became instantaneous. My head acted on impulse to a single thought, something that might save… or kill me. My left hand grabbed onto the seat belt and snapped it into place. And…

…strangely, my head turned toward the school. I saw if for only a brief second, but I almost picked it out immediately…

…

My hands jerked the steering wheel to the right…

Colors around me blurred into a blinding mess…

The murdering screech of metal on asphalt…

Darkness…

…

* * *

The left turn signal was on, clicking in constant one-second intervals.

…

When I came to, I was hanging upside down. The back of my head hurt like hell, and the strap that held me up seemed to be burning my skin.

…I couldn't tell. What happened?

Did the bus rollover?

Was I bleeding?

Was there glass stuck underneath my skin?

Was I even still alive?

My eyes told me nothing, nothing except for the fact that I was upside down. Both my hands were still firmly latched on to the steering wheel, and it took a little effort for me to loosen my grip. I unbuckled myself…

…!

…and suddenly slid down, hitting my head on the ceiling. It didn't seem to hurt too much… but considering that I had just been in a car wreck, it probably did.

…

…slowly, I rolled myself over and tried levying myself up, using the metal poles around me to hold my weight. I recognized the lever used to open the side door and hoped that it still worked. Fortunately for me, it did. And I escaped…

…

…as I crawled out into open air, I suddenly realized how hard I was breathing… and how fast my heart was pulsing. My ears were suddenly flushed with those ravaging noises, and my head dropped to the ground…

…

I was shaking, but at the same time…

…grimly, insanely, _hysterically_…

…

…I started to laugh.

After everything I had been through… and this was probably going to be the closest to me ever breaking. It was really…

…it wasn't a pretty.

* * *

After my little episode, I managed to calm myself down. I stumbled towards the direction of Nagato's apartment complex. No longer was my head filled with thoughts of sleeping peacefully in bed at home. This was something I needed to take care of this right now. I could greet my sister later. I'll tell her all about this once this whole ordeal was over, and she can exaggerate the story to her friends.

This wouldn't take long. Not at all.

My head was clear now. It wasn't clouded with useless thoughts anymore. I had figured out the mystery or… at least one part of it anyway. But just to be sure, I had to talk to _her_.

She had the answers, and I was going to get them.

…

Standing at the main entrance, I traced my finger on the button for Room 708.

…

I cast off all doubt and called for her. The intercom picked up immediately.

"…………"

…

Instead of saying anything, I opted to stay silent.

"…………"

…

And the main gate sounded and opened.

The building was dark when I entered, and even the elevators were just as dim; however, when I reached the seventh floor, I could see at a distance that Nagato's door was already open.

It was obvious that she was waiting for me.

…

Inside, the walls were as pale and bare as the time I first saw them. There was no trace of dust or dirt anywhere, and it was hard to imagine that anyone had lived in here before. If felt familiar, but at the same time, it was alien.

Further inside, the desolate atmosphere changed. The sterile lights gleamed across the floor and across something foreign to this residence: signs of life.

To be more specific, there was now a row of potted plants on the ground, each of them holding one red poppy flower. They were spaced neatly near the glass screen of the balcony, and it was there where I found her, crouching down.

…_she_ was watering them.

Holding a green watering can, she was silently measuring out drops of dew over her specimens and was probably watching intently for any stirring reactions.

I waited for her to stop.

…

"It's been awhile…"

I heard her speak from the ground. Putting aside her watering can, she effortlessly pulled herself up.

There was an aura of condescending pleasantness in the air.

"It's been awhile, Kyon-kun~"

She turned around and smiled sweetly at me.


	7. Chapter 7

**A Tale of Six Years**

On December 30, 2006, I decided to write a fanfiction based on 'The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi'. It was supposed to be a story full of wit, intrigue, and occasional shock. Or so, that's what I believe.

If I could go back in time and ask myself what type of story this was, I have no doubt that the me of the past would tilt his head and say something like 'who are you' and avoid the subject completely. That is to say, the 'me' of the past and the 'me' of the present might as well be considered two different people and would probably not get along. Oddly, despite being the person who should know myself best, I can't even imagine why or how my mind worked when I was younger.

Times have changed. Presidents came, went, and stayed. *ySpace died. *acebook became a thing. *acebook became a thing that started to suck. And me, I suppose I changed too. Maybe too much.

...

I doubt many people who had first read this story six years ago are eagerly waiting for an update as of now. If there is someone, I'll compliment you on your patience. But unfortunately, this story won't have a proper ending. The present me isn't really up to the task of finishing up a piece of fanfiction I made six years ago. However, rather than letting this story rot without conclusion, I wanted to relay a message. A message from my previous self. Of how he wanted this to go out.

I guess this is more of a parting gift to my past self than it is to any readers out there.

...

Well then, getting started...

* * *

Chapter 7

Going off from the cliffhanger in Chapter 6, this would start with the confrontation between Kyon and Asakura Ryouko. I say 'confrontation' but there isn't really any 'fight'.

In the scene, Kyon isn't so much surprised at her reappearance, as it has become obvious to him that the current world he was in wasn't 'reality'. ( From Chapter 6, the entire world was strange to begin with. ) Having figured out something supernatural took place, he asks her if she was the one who buried him underground, and in reply she reveals that she did not. However, thanks to whoever did, she was able to finally to meet up with him. ( It's revealed that Asakura Ryouko made multiple attempts trying to transfer him into this closed off dimension. This was hinted previously towards the end of Chapters 4 where he starts seeing things and in the beginning of Chapter 5 where his perception becomes defunct. The events between 4 and 5 are unclear, but there's more to it than Kyon perceives. )

The two briefly discuss their situation, with Kyon wanting answers and Asakura being happy to oblige. In this, Kyon doesn't really have a clue what to ask, but rather is just stalling for time before someone comes to rescue him. This is, of course, just a hope. Having nothing else to say after a series of inconsequential questions, Kyon makes a last ditch effort and tries to pull out the 'gun' from Chapter 5, but is unable to due to suddenly being restricted. ( With the way the scene is supposed to be played out, I suppose I wanted to convey the feeling of fear and anxiety while being ironically humorous. Kyon knows that Asakura wants to kill him and really has no way of stopping her, so there's this odd tension in the air. )

Asakura muses that maybe a certain someone might break through the wall at the very moment, but she's confident that it won't happen for some reason. With no one to stop her, she fulfills the purpose of bringing Kyon to this place. She steps in, and in a horrifyingly event, kisses him. Calling him 'pathetic' and 'a person who is losing their value', she encourages him to stop being a static object. Kyon's vision fades as she leaves the room, and shortly after, he finds himself lying awake on a park bench.

By himself, Kyon scolds Asakura for telling him what he already knows.

...

In the second part of Chapter 7, Kyon is searching for Haruhi. After making various phone calls from any phone available, he finds out that she hasn't returned home from school that day. He runs out into the streets thinking that maybe she's still on school grounds. While running, he monologues to himself: despite being told from various people to go after Haruhi for whatever backhand reason, it was all redundant. Seeing Haruhi wasn't something he had to do. It was something he wanted to do. It was something he planned on doing sooner or later, and he's aggravated on how everyone is nagging on him for not doing it immediately. Even at that moment, he finds it illogical to be dashing out like an idiot.

...

After making it to the school, he finds a scene that shakes him. Remember Koizumi's words in Chapter 2 ( On how he might have to take action if Kyon doesn't ), he realizes what he meant.

The chapter ends on a somber note, as Kyon quietly leaves unnoticed, putting off the meeting further.

* * *

Chapter 8

From the very end of Chapter 7 and throughout Chapter 8, a torrent of rain has swept the area, echoing Taniguchi's words in Chapter 1 ( That's right, this chapter was planned from the very beginning. )

From the onset, Kyon is sick from walking home in the rain, and likely stress from the previous day had something to do with it as well. Throughout the day, he does mundane things to keep himself entertained and wonders if this is how it would be if he never joined the SOS.

...

Hearing a loud banging noise, he find Haruhi at his front door.

...

This is actually written out, so I'll post it the chapter below. Depending on what I would write in Chapter 7, I wanted to change certain details, but since that won't happen, I'll leave it as it is in its unedited version. Keep in mind, this is something I wrote _six years_ ago and written right after I did Chapter 1, so don't expect it to be written well.

* * *

Chapter 8 (full text)

The following day proceeded without my beckoning. If it were up to me, I would've made it so that tomorrow would be stalled a few more hours than regular. I was exhausted and I needed the extra sleep. Even as I lay in bed right now, I feel like I should stay here at least five more minutes before getting up.

Currently, half the school day should be over by now. That's what I think anyway. It's been awhile since I've last looked at my clock. As for why I'm not at school, I'll explain it simply. I'm sick. People tend to get sick when they walk in the rain without an umbrella. It's kind of pathetic if you think about it.

After coming home from school, I went directly to bed with saying a word to my family. The morning after, I was dry-eyed and coughing. And so, I was designated to stay home and rest while everyone else went off to do whatever their supposed to do. Though I'm prone to complain about it, but, shouldn't they care more about me? I did, after all, come home completely soaked with rainwater. Jeez, I get no respect, but then again, it may be better off this way. If they knew what I went through on a daily bases and what I've done to ensure the existence of mankind, their heads explode just from bewilderment.

Well, they won't have to worry about it now.

I was officially out of the SOS Brigade. Practically all the ties that held me to the world of time travelers, espers, and aliens were broken, and now, I could live my life normally.

The ground felt a little too cold against the soles of my feet. Then again, this is to be expected, considering the weather outside. Compared with last night, the thick drizzle had turned into a heavy downpour. It was the kind of rain that was louder than it looked, splattering hard against the already wet pavement.

I shuffled my feet into a pair of slippers and headed out of my room.

As expected, there was no else at home except me. It was kind of depressing. I was sick and alone in a dreary house while it was raining. This was the perfect sulking atmosphere. But, I wasn't about to sulk. Sulking is for people who are biased and confused, and I'm not either. I know the situation somewhat, and I understand. I understood the moment when Haruhi kicked me out.

Instead of "sulk", you can replace that word with "resign", as in "to submit one's mind passively". ...yeah, that's the word.

...I resigned myself into the kitchen.

I was starving. This made sense, since I skipped dinner last night. And with the added hours to my lifespan with that time jump, that pretty much enforces why I was so hungry. It was a real inconvenience for me, and it was the only reason why I got out of bed.

Inside the fridge, I spotted a plastic wrapped dish of foodstuff with a note card that had my nickname scrawled on it. From the various doodled smiley faces and cartoon drawings of Shamisen's face, it was apparent that my sister had taken the effort to make this for me. Well, maybe just the note card anyway, but, at least there's one person who genuinely cares about me.

I took out the dish and looked through its contents. There was some hard looking meat with a gelatinized sauce around it, along with an assortment of steamed, but now dehydrated, vegetables. If I'd cared, I'd have to say these were last night's leftovers, but food was food, and it'd be a waste of food to waste food.

…clearly, being sick has taken its toll on my mind, but that doesn't matter. I put the dish in the microwave and headed out to the living room.

I turned on the television, and surfed through the various channels of blue screens. This, of course, was due to the rain. I gave up, and instead, reclined myself to the sofa. I leaned my head back into the back frame and stretched my neck.

Heh…just yesterday a kid came by and told me I was going die on this couch. What a disappointment this turned out to be. Speaking of which, he also drugged me and put me in a coffin. Man, if ever I see him again, I'll rip his eyes out. But, that's probably not going to happen.

The rain hammered down on the roof, each drop clearly stringing a different note and forming patterns of noises. They harmonized in a hard orchestrated pitter-patter, and I felt bored. This must've been how she felt on a daily bases. I could almost sympathize with her, with her acts of transgression against the world. "Almost" being the key word there.

…I really don't know why I was so intent on finding her. It wasn't like I had something to say to her. Sure, I could've said something about Asahina-san disappearing into the time stream, or about how Nagato was presumably dead after fighting off humanoid interfaces, but…what then? She'd never believe me. She'd probably think I was making fun of her. It was like Koizumi said. She was becoming more rational. Plus, it probably would've made things worse off for me, considering how I left things off with her. So, why did I want to see her so much?

Well, the answer has no significance. I'm sure if I asked my past self this, I would reply with an "I'm not sure myself." What matters now is that the part of me that belonged to the SOS Brigade is over.

Hey, this might actually be a good thing for me. I don't have to burden the world's weight anymore. You can leave all that to Koizumi. As for me, maybe I'll start focusing on my studies. Maybe I'll get myself a girlfriend. Maybe I can start living like a normal high school student. That shouldn't be hard, should it?

…but, that's a tad boring, isn't it?

I heaved a sigh. It seems like she rubbed off on me a lot more than I thought. It was useless to think of these things now. I better start getting myself together. My life wasn't going to change on its own, and now's a good as a time than ever.

Well Haruhi, I hope you'll have a long and prosperous life… without me.

I made a toast to her inside my head and stood up. I turned off the television and made my way towards the opposite end of the living room.

…then, there was a knock.

It was barely audible against the rolling rain, and it could've easily been confused with a soft crash of thunder in the distance, but I heard it. To further prove it wasn't the weather outside, the sound repeated itself.

Use the doorbell idiot.

I walked over to the door, but stopped myself before I reached the door handle. It was a brief moment of hesitation that overcame me.

Now, for what reason did I want to open the door? I was sick, and, originally, no one was supposed to be at home. Plus, this was a very obscure situation here. It was in the middle of a school day, so it shouldn't be any of my classmates just checking up on me. If it were a sunny day, I might've considered the possibility that the person on the other side could be an old-timey door-to-door salesman, but it was raining, and those sorts of people should've been shot by the judicial force. So, who was on the other side?

Jeez, I'll just open it and see who it is. Worse case scenario, the person on the other side is an assassin out to get me.

…actually, that's a pretty good reason to _not_ open the door…

Aw, to hell with this.

I swung open the door and accepted fate as it came.

…this is a joke, right?

Nope, apparently not.

And it still isn't.

C'mon! You've got to be kidding me. I just adjusted my mindset to a life of complete normality. What, is she here to rub it my face or something?

Haruhi glared up at me from underneath an umbrella, and I stared back. This was an event that I hadn't really prepared myself for, so, I must've looked pretty stupid just standing there.

A full-fledged minute passed before I took the initiative to say something.

"Do you…want to come inside?"

It's odd for a guy to be asking a girl to go inside his home when he's alone, but, I think this circumstance called for it. The rain was like a blaring firecracker, so, if she wanted to say something to me, it would've been best to do it in a more silent atmosphere, and plus, it was cold. Though I was wearing pajamas and a bathrobe, I felt a clear drop in temperature when I opened the door. I probably couldn't imagine the discomfort Haruhi felt from just wearing her sailor uniform. So, don't think I had any perverted intentions when I asked this.

Haruhi unraveled her umbrella and tossed it harshly to me. Needless to say, I got wet, but she didn't seem to mind as she strolled right past me, like she owned the place.

Now, why was it that I felt sorry for her? I forgot.

Haruhi made her way to a recliner and dusted the seat before sitting on it. After that, she crossed her arms and patiently waited for me, all the while keeping the same pissed off expression on her face.

You might say that she was still angry with me, but this was a sharp contrast with how things really were. At a closer glance, Haruhi seemed to be almost timid to speak with me, and, judging from the time, she must've run directly to my house when the lunch bell rang. I'm not sure whether to feel angry or flattered, but, it was apparent that Haruhi had something to say.

I sat down in the chair opposite to Haruhi and laid the umbrella next to me. If one would take the time to notice, this umbrella would also happen to be the same one that me and Haruhi walked under some day in the rain last year. I don't remember much about that day, but I remember carrying a heater, and getting wet, since Haruhi hogged the most of the umbrella all to herself. It was one of the SOS Brigade's less eventful days, but that was all okay with me.

Haruhi kept silent, like a baby refusing to eat a spoonful of mashed carrots. With this, I can't help but to feel exasperated.

"You're not at school."

I stated blatantly.

"Neither are you."

"I'm sick."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah."

"That's too bad then."

Well, that's a good start. Though our sentences spanned less than five words, she's at least talking to me. I might as well talk to her about the weather before she brings up why the hell she came here in the first place.

I had half a mind to tell her what had happened yesterday. Maybe if were a little more egocentric I would've, but I didn't. I wasn't the kind of guy that would risk catastrophe just because he was frustrated. If the situation was reversed, I'm sure Haruhi would have no trouble telling me, but, unfortunately, it wasn't, so I'm probably going to have to burden this for the rest of my life.

"Can you wait for a second?"

I stood up and started walking to the opposite end of the room. Before I could continue this charade of silence any longer, there was something in the back of my mind that had to be taken care of. I had almost reached the kitchen door, until Haruhi sidestep me and blocked me from proceeding any further. She opened her mouth.

Her face contorted angrily and she started grinding her teeth. Watching her do this made me feel like she was going to blow up on me any second. Or minute…damn it, Haruhi. If you're going to get in my way, say something. This silent treatment is just too ridiculous.

"…Kyon…"

She forced those words out of her mouth. Her hard gaze softened and she sighed.

"Look…"

Haruhi said, turning her head to the side. She scratched the back of her neck and continued mumbling.

"Me and Koizumi…yesterday…we talked."

Yeah, among other things too I bet.

"And…I, uh…realized that…I…may have…overreacted."

Wait, what was happening here? Could it be that she's…no, never. That's impossible. It would never happen. Chances of the sun blotting out are way more likely.

"I was…wrong…to try to…force you out of your…date. And I perfectly understand that…you…have a life."

She said generically.

"So…"

Haruhi sucked in the stale air from between her teeth before letting out an unforgettable phrase.

"I'm…sorry."

She immediately coughed and cleared her throat, as if she were trying cover up that one comment.

…wow. Just, wow. That was…wow. Am I dreaming right now? It sure seems like it. It seems cloudy enough. Personally, I have never heard her apologize before. In fact, I think this is the first time she's _ever_ apologized. This is just…wow. That's all I can say.

Haruhi stared down at her feet and swiveled her foot, like she was stepping on a cigarette.

"With that aside, I would like for you to come back."

She murmured. She tilted her head up and we made eye contact. Haruhi didn't so angry anymore, but more…well, there isn't a word that does justice to how Haruhi looked to me.

"So, how about it?"

I put my hand on her shoulder. Ever since Haruhi had entered my home, I felt like I was missing something. But…now, I realized what it was. And I realized it was more important than me, the SOS Brigade, and possibly, maybe even the world. Well, at that instance, it was to me. And, it was right before my eyes too. So, I did something that I regretted I didn't do earlier.

"Shit!"

I pushed Haruhi to the side and ran through the kitchen door. The whole room was filled with a heavy black smoke which emitted from a bright orange flame where the microwave was supposed to be. My heart started racing, and I stood in shock for a few seconds.

"Shit!"

I yelled that colorful word as I realized how much of an idiot I was being for just standing there. I rushed over to the kitchen sink and pulled out a tub from the cupboard below. I turned on the water to full blast and dashed across the room to open the windows. Once I was done, I got the tub from the sink and lifted it out. I got in front of the microwave and swayed my arms to prepare myself to throw the water, but I stopped myself before I was able to. My mind had finally kicked back into gear and reminded something important: Electrical fire Water Even worse situation you moron.

"Shit!"

I dropped the tub to the ground and quickly started to open the all the cabinets and drawers. It was completely ironic. It was practically flooding outside, but not a drop of water could help me. What would really be useful right now would be a damn fire extinguisher, but I don't even know if there _is_ one in the house.

"Shit!"

To no avail, opening all the cupboards and drawers had been proven useless. There was no fire extinguisher in the kitchen. Damn it! Am I not looking hard enough? Why _wouldn't_ a fire extinguisher be in the kitchen? Am I going to catch on fire while sleeping in my room? No! The fire extinguisher _has_ to be kitchen, that is, if we there even is one. If not, well, I'm doomed then.

Perhaps it was from sick, or more likely, it was from breathing in too much smoke, but I started coughing violently. It was the kind of hoarse cough that would burn the back of your throat. The pain was excruciatingly bad for me. I felt like someone forced me to drink battery acid, but then have it caught in your throat. I dropped down on all fours and started to heave in the clearer air towards the ground.

Man, I wished I would've paid more attention to those safety lectures at school. If I did, maybe I'd know what to do now. Hey, I have an idea. Why don't I pour some dirt over the fire just like how campers take out their fires? I'm sure there's a bag of dry dirt somewhere around…oh, what the hell am I thinking? Is this some sort of adverse effect of the lack of oxygen in this room? Damn it, there's a fire right in front of me, and I'm doing nothing to stop it! There's…there's something wrong with me.

Before I could get any further into that, Haruhi busted through the door with a fire extinguisher.

Well, you can guess what happened next.

Surprisingly enough, I had forgotten that Haruhi was still in the house. In the duration of the two minutes I was running around in the kitchen, she had seen the smoke and sprung into action. Haruhi had searched through the house looking for a fire extinguisher, something I didn't realize until the latter of the two minutes, and found one. After that, she became my so-called "knight in shining armor".

…I really find it hard to believe this. It's all a little coincidental, don't you think? The same day the microwave oven shorted out also happened to be the day the batteries in the fire detector ran out. Also, Haruhi just happened to be here when this occurred, and she just randomly opened a door and found a fire extinguisher just lying around. Is that how it happened?

"You ought to consider yourself lucky, Kyon. If I wasn't here to save your butt, you would've burned your house down."

Lucky me, huh?

Haruhi sat on the counter next to me and held up a high and mighty cocky grin as I cleaned up the soot leftover from my breakfast. Though the fire hadn't lasted long and damage had been kept to a minimum, a microwave which would no doubt come out of my allowance, the fact remains the same: Haruhi blew up my microwave. I would also like to think that my inability to act was caused by her, but that could've gone both ways.

"You know, guys shouldn't push girls down. It's not proper etiquette."

In proper etiquette, girls don't usually prance around in bunny suits or go around groping other people's breasts too, but you seem to be an exception to those rules.

Haruhi struck me in the head with her fist.

"What's with that tone? Is this how you treat your savior?"

It's kind of hard to be thankful when my "savior" was the one who caught my kitchen on fire in the first place. And physically abusing me isn't going to help your matter whatsoever. But…

I stood up after scraping the leftover ashes into a pan and then sighed.

"Thanks," I heard myself murmur, "I don't know what I would've done without you, Haruhi."

It was a lie. I knew what would've happened if she hadn't come. If she hadn't knocked on my door, nothing would've happened, but the lie was a lot better than the truth, wasn't it? And for Haruhi to subconsciously stage this whole scenario so I'd be indebt to her, it must've meant that she really did want me to come back. It's almost sweet... except not really.

After meeting my glance, Haruhi seemed to be a little surprised. She jumped off the counter and quickly turned her back to me.

"D-Don't thank me! I just did what you were supposed to do, stupid!"

As always, she's too stubborn to even take any gratitude. Ah, well, I expected no less from her.

I dumped the soot into a trashcan and proceeded to scrape more ash.

"…say, Kyon, are you hungry?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

Haruhi suddenly turned around, radiating a bright smile from her face. If I knew any better, I'd say she was plotting something.

"I'll make something."

She stated cheerfully.

I'm sorry, what did she just say? Did she just offer to cook me food? That's unusually…nice of her. I've tasted a few of her delicacies in past. The hotpot during Christmas, the sandwiches in the snow mountain, futomaki on the Spring Setsubun, and the obligatory chocolates on Valentines, hell, I'd say she enjoys cooking, but is it really okay for her to do this? From her point of view, she just saved my life. _I_ ought to be the one serving _her_, not that I'm complaining.

Haruhi started to rattle through the open pantries and looked through their contents.

"Uh…Haruhi, you don't really have to-"

"Aha!"

She yelled out in triumph. Haruhi spun around and proudly held up an object like the main character in a video game after finding an item. And this item, in question, was…a box of instant noodles.

Honestly, if you're just going to make _that_…

"What are you complaining for? You're lucky that I'm even offering after saving your life."

So why are you?

"It's not like I'm doing this just for _you_," she shot back, "It's already halfway through lunchtime at school right now, and I'm hungry. So, if you don't mind, I'll be taking some of your food."

Even if I did mind, I doubt you'd listen to me.

Wait…does this mean the whole fire scenario was just constructed so that you'd be able to score free ramen? Jeez, if that's true, then you're a lot more shallow than I give you credit for.

I watched as Haruhi got out a pot and filled it with water, since the alternative had melted into a surrealistic piece of artwork that looked like belonged to a deranged child. She moved to the stovetop and started to heat up the water. Maybe a minute or so passed before we said anything to each other.

"…Kyon."

She cleared her throat and called my nickname.

"…you didn't give me an answer."

Eh? Was she really still worried about that? After all that's happened, does she think I'd just say no? Just, how much of a jerk do I come across as in Haruhi's eyes? From my perspective, I really don't have much of a choice here. But... it's not like I'd want it any other way.

"…sure, apology accepted."

I don't know if it was from not eating for more than twenty-four hours, but that ramen Haruhi made was the best I've eaten.

* * *

Chapter 9

Chapter 9 would be a series of events interacting with several characters separately.

Nagato reveals was had been temporarily put on standby after Haruhi kicked him out of the club. But even so, from that state she was attempting to hinder and analyze anomalous behavior that was directed at Kyon two days prior. Kyon realizes this is the reason why it took Asakura so long to get hold of him. And speaking of her, it doesn't appear Nagato knows that it was her who caused the anomalous behavior. Kyon briefly remembers his meeting with Asakura and decides to write it off.

Koizumi reveals to Kyon that he attempted to comfort Haruhi while she was in distress. It didn't seem like she took his to his kindness well and affirms that this sort of job is best suited for Kyon. Despite this, Kyon thanks Koizumi thinking that if hadn't acted, things between him and Haruhi would probably be different. Though, there seems to be a bit of hostility between the two of them.

Asahina reveals that she's been gone for the last few days and has no idea what happened the days prior or anything about a date, leaving Kyon bewildered. In speculation, he thinks that maybe an Asahina from the future had taken her place sometime without him noticing. He decides not to talk about the previous events with her.

And filling in the gap for the time traveling side, the boy makes another appearance to take Kyon's 'gun'. Though, it appears to be a boy from a 'different' time. He reveals the gun was filled with blanks and that he was in no danger whatsoever. He admits that he was wrong from his previous guess regarding Asahana, and makes another guess about the events between Chapter 4 and 5. After being shot at, Kyon for some reason went into prolonged shock ( Due to one of Asakura's failed attempts ). While he was out, Asahina, thinking that he was hurt, panicked and took him into the future. After realizing, he was okay, she took him back into the present and returned to the future. Kyon asks him about the grave, and boy doesn't seem to know what he's talking about, but gathers that it's something he'll take care of eventually.

After he leaves, Kyon notices he's walking with a limp, leading him to think that perhaps he was punished in some way. This could be considered a 'win' for him, as it's apparent he did something would need punishing, and that perhaps time travel with all its complexities had a margin of error.

At the very end of Chapter 9, Haruhi would introduce Kyon as a 'new member' of the SOS Brigade.

* * *

And that's the end. When I think about it, 'End of the World' isn't exactly a proper title for this story, is it now? Well, reading back over it, there are parts I liked and parts I didn't like, but giving credit where credit is due, I believe my younger self did a good job crafting a story with some intriguing twists and turns.

To anyone who's read to the end, thank you. Please wish me luck in my future endeavors.

So long, I. Run. E.


End file.
